Even Better
by teamezria53098
Summary: Sequel to I'll Always be Here. Aria and Ezra are getting married, but what happens when a tragic accident occurs that completely changes their lives forever? Can they ever feel the same way about each other again?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm Back! So, this is my sequel to I'll Always be here. Thank you all for your support! I haven't made up my mine yet on this storyline, so if ANY of you have any ideas, tell me; and I'll try and make them work! Xoxo Courtney**

3 Months Later—

Aria POV:

My eyes opened to the loud sound of an alarm clock. I groaned, as I reached over blindly and hit the 'off' button. I smiled as I heard the movement of the figure beside me.

"Mmmm…." Ezra mumbled as he wrapped his strong arms around me.

I giggled as I flipped over to look at him. "Well, good morning to you too," I said cheerfully.

He opened his eyes just enough to peer at me. "Do we really have to get up?" he asked, whining.

I attempted to sit up but he, of course, pulled me back down. "Yes, sleepy head! Soon enough we could sleep in _whenever_ we want," I claimed, pulling my lips to his.

Ezra smiled into my mouth as he began to sit up. "Oh, right! We're getting married tomorrow! I totally forgot!" he exclaimed, pretending to panic.

"Hey!" I said, as I playfully hit him in his shoulder. Ezra chuckled as he stood up and trudged over to the dresser, and grabbed a pile of clothes.

"It's not like we've been going to rehearsal dinners and planning, and planning, and planning, and planning…." I continued, until I got cut off with his lips.

When we parted, Ezra pulled me out of bed. "I'm so glad we don't have to be tortured with the planning any more. And the stupid dinner!" he added, sighing.

Ezra was the ideal romantic, but when it came to planning something for weeks, he would get tired. I found it pretty horrific too, but we were getting married. We were going to get married after all that we have been through; like the kidnapping, the issue with my parents (which was resolved), Jason, Jackie, him leaving, and hiding from the cops. Plus, not to mention, the bombed car that Ezra had saved me from.

"But you still love me, right?" I teased, smirking.

"I love you more than you could ever imagine," Ezra claimed, as he pecked me on the cheek.

I giggled, caressing his cheek, then, running my fingers through his hair. "I love you too," I said, as I began to change. Ezra headed to the bathroom, singing on his way there.

Once I changed and put on some make-up, I kissed Ezra goodbye. I was meeting with the girls, and then sleeping over at Hanna's, since, it's like the LAW that the husband and wife can't see each other on the night of the wedding.

"Alright, I'm meeting with the girls at 12, so I better leave now," I sighed, as Ezra pulled me into him.

"Then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Fitz," he smiled, placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

I smiled, just thinking of people calling me by the last name of Fitz. "I'll be the one in white," I reminded him.

He chuckled, as he walked me to the door. "Sounds pretty convincing. I love you," he exclaimed.

"You too," I grinned, as I headed out to my car. Tomorrow was going to be perfect; I could feel it already.

**Sorry for the very short, and horrible chapter! I promise, if you've read the first story, you know that my writing got better as I got comfortable with the plot. So, tell me what you think, and please, share your ideas! I'm sure they're wonderful! I'll try to update tomorrow if I get some reviews. I love you all! xoxo Courtney**


	2. Getting Ready

**Hello! So, only 2 reviews? Really? It's like déjà vu from y first story, hahah. I have hope that I'll get some more people reading! So, this chapter is the wedding, and hopefully in the next chapter or so we'll get the real plot of this story. Enjoy!**

"_Then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Fitz," he smiled, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. _

_I smiled, just thinking of people calling me by the last name of Fitz. "I'll be the one in white," I reminded him. _

_He chuckled, as he walked me to the door. "Sounds pretty convincing. I love you," he exclaimed. _

"_You too," I grinned, as I headed out to my car. Tomorrow was going to be perfect; I could feel it already. _

Aria POV:

"Hey girls," I greeted as I walked over to our table at the Grille. Spencer, Emily, and Hanna looked over at me with lightened eyes and smiled.

"Aria!" they exclaimed in unison. I smiled as I settled down in a chair next to Hanna.

"So, what's up?" I asked, taking a sip of water. The girls seemed to look at me with shocked expressions on their faces. "What?" I asked, clearly confused.

Hanna turned to face me. "You come over to the table, after coming back from Fitz, and all you have to say is _what's up?_" she questioned.

Spencer almost jumped out of her chair as she exclaimed, "You're getting married tomorrow!"

I giggled. "Yes, I am! It's going to be perfect," I murmured.

Emily clapped her hands in joy. "It will! Everything is set and ready to go. You're staying at Hanna's right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll work out her skills with my make-up.." I teased.

"And the hair! Don't forget about the hair!" Hanna interrupted. We all laughed together as the waitor brought our food to the table.

"And, you girls will be coming around 8?" I asked, gesturing to Spencer and Emily.

They nodded, saying that they don't want to miss me putting on my dress. The dress was beautiful. It was a white gown, of course, that had ruffles down the legs, coming outward, and lace down the waist. It was strapless, and had a gorgeous veil to go with it.

"I'm sure Fitz will look hot in his suit," Hanna obliged.

I hit her playfully. "Hey, he's mine," I teased, while the girls giggled, as we began to pick at our bowl of onion rings.

The Next Morning:

"Aria! C'mon let's get up!" Hanna basically shrieked, dragging me out from my slumber.

"Oh my god, Han, I'm up!" " I laughed as I sat up. Hanna came over and sat in front of me, a big grin on her face.

"Are you excited?" she asked, as she clapped her hands together. I smiled. Of course I was. I nodded slowly.

"Okay. Let's get you ready, and the girls should be coming in around….15 minutes," she exclaimed.

It didn't take Hanna long before she had applied enough make-up to make me not look like a monster, and did my hair. She had curled it and put it in a nice bun with strands of hair falling from the left side onto my cheek.

"Hanna, I look beautiful! You really got skills," I noted, touching my face gently, admiring her work well done.

"Hey! Don't smudge my masterpiece!" she scolded, pointing her finger at me. I gave her a look, while she pulled out my gown. I gladly took it carefully and headed towards the bathroom.

I came out several minutes later, leaving Hanna in awe. "Aria, you look…I don't even have words to describe it right now," she stuttered.

I looked at her suspiciously. "I hope you mean that in a good way…" I started, but I was interrupted by the gasps of Emily and Spencer, who were now suddenly here.

"Aria, you're stunning!" Spencer said, her face glowing. They were all in their bridesmaids dresses. I couldn't pick just one Maid of Honor, so they all were.

I smiled. "Thank you, I feel…..pretty," I confessed, putting my shoes on.

"Just imagine Fitz's face when he sees that dress on—" Hanna started, but I silenced her with a death glare.

"Watch it," I laughed, as I ran my hands down my dress in front of the mirror. "We should probably get going…."

Emily stepped in front of everyone. "Things are going to be different now. We won't be hanging out so much anymore, at least not all four of us; so I want to take just one last picture of all of us before the wedding," she begged, holding up her phone.

"Em, nothing's going to change. We'll always be best friends, forever," I reassured her; and with that we gathered up close, the flash blinding us, as we smiled for one last picture before I was Mrs. Fitz.

**Another short one! I still got to get the hang of this story, so y'all have to hang in there! Ahah I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Review! Xoxo Courtney**


	3. Perfect Nightmare

**Hi guys! So, I'm really torn. I don't know if I should continue with this story, I haven't been getting many reviews, and I don't know if updating every day or other day will be worth it. So, I don't know. .It all depends on how this chapter goes. Anyway…..here it is!**

"_Em, nothing's going to change. We'll always be best friends, forever," I reassured her; and with that we gathered up close, the flash blinding us, as we smiled for one last picture before I was Mrs. Fitz. _

During the car ride, I was starting to feel pretty nervous…..which was….unusual, because I had been dreaming of this day forever. I was nervous about how the wedding would go. Will everything go as planned? Will there be any uninvited guests, oh I don't know like Jackie? The idea of my tripping while walking down the aisle makes me sick, too. _Aria, you have to calm down. Everything is going to be perfectly fine. _

I took a few breaths, before realizing that we had arrived. The girls and I made our way into the small building near the water. Yes, we were having a beach wedding. I was told that Ezra was outside talking with friends and what not.

"You don't look so good," Emily said, walking over to me and putting her hand on my shoulder. "Are you feeling okay?"

I gave her a small smile. "Yeah, just nerves…" I answered.

Spencer came up beside me and Emily. "Everything's fine. I saw the groom, and he couldn't look happier," she noted.

"I'm glad," I exclaimed. Our conversation was interrupted by Ella and Byron running, or at least Ella was running, to me.

"Aria, you look beautiful," Byron exclaimed when he stood next to me.

I smiled. "Thank—" I started but Ella looked like she was about o explode.

"What he said! You look perfect, honey! I'm going to ruin my mascara!" she gasped, as she wiped under her eyes.

I giggled. "It's okay. It's common for people to cry at weddings," I joked. "Did you see Ezra?"

"Yes, and he can't wait to see his bride," Ella said, giving me a hug. "Okay, well I better get to our seats. The ceremony starts in 5 minutes, and YOU," she claimed, pointing at my dad, "better not let her fall!"

Byron held my hand in his as he responded, "Never."

After Ella ran away to her seat, which was obviously in the front row, we all started to line up; the three girls in front and me at the end, as tradition says. The aisle was a pretty long walk, and I gulped. Emily handed me my bouquet and smiled at me, whispering, "Breathe."

They're trips down the aisle seemed to take forever, so I turned to Byron. "Dad?"

"Hmm?" he mumbled, facing me.

"I just want to say thank you, for accepting us. It meant to much to us, and I don't think we can ever re-pay you," I started to babble.

Byron shushed me quietly. "No need. As long as he's a good husband, he's fine with me; and he saved your life! Remember when you almost died multiple times six weeks ago?"

I nodded. "He's a keeper," I smiled. Byron locked my arm with his, hinting me that it was my turn. It was the time that everyone was waiting for. I closed my eyes before we started to walk. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a wave of people stand up from their seats to look at me. I heard a few gasps, and saw a few loving smiles. I grinned, as my gaze went from the pedal-covered ground to the groom: Ezra Fitz.

In my eyes, I hadn't seen anything more perfect in my entire life. He looked very clean and sharp, his hair was parted the way that I had always loved it, and most importantly, was smiling at me. I sighed happily as we continued down the walkway.

Ezra POV:

I don't think I have ever seen anything more beautiful in my whole life. She looked just as beautiful as she always did, but there seemed to be a glow in her face. Her smile was bright, almost flashing with happiness. Her eyes sparkled like the stars, and she moved so swiftly as if she was gliding across the aisle. I noticed her grip on her flowers were loosening, and she was becoming more relaxed. She was looking at me, and there was no better sight than that.

Once she made it down the long aisle, Byron kissed her cheek and guided her hand towards mine. I held my hand out to her, and she gladly took it. I leaned in more to whisper something in her ear. "I can't even describe how perfect you look right now."

She giggled softly, and squeezed my hand. "You don't look too bad yourself," she replied, raising an eyebrow suggestively. I smiled, as the priest began to speak.

Before we knew it, it was time to say our vows. I was going first of course, and I pulled out a wrinkly piece of paper, which was a take-out menu. I looked up at her lovingly before I began. "Aria, you and I have been through everything together. Our relationship wasn't a normal one, and it was tough to make it through, but we did it, together. There's a quote, by James Campbell. It goes, 'You must give up the life you had planned, in order to have the life that is waiting for you.' I thought I knew what that meant; I didn't. 'Till I met you. You made me believe in us, and in a happy ending. I know that I'll love you until the end of the earth, and nothing can make me happier than being with you here, right now. I love you."

I noticed tears start to roll down her cheek, and she wiped them away quickly. She turned around so Hanna could hand her, also, a wrinkled piece of paper. My moth dropped in suspicion. "Did you write yours on a take-out menu too?" I asked.

She giggled, as she held it up, covering her mouth. The menu was on the back. I chuckled softly, shaking my head.

Aria POV:

I took a deep breath before I started to speak. "Ezra. Boy, have we been through a lot together haven't we?" I smiled. I concentrated for a second, and decided that I'd try to make my lame speech as good as his; so I turned around and gave Hanna back the piece of paper. Ezra grinned. "We had to go through hell in order to get people to approve, and look at us the right way. It was hard, and we figured out a way to survive. You have made me the happiest girl on Earth, and you were there with me for things that others…just couldn't. You always have a way to make me smile and laugh. You've definitely seen me at my best and at my worst. You need to know something that I've never told you. You probably already know this, but you're my hero. You've saved my life, and I'm not just talking physically. Your smile and make my day a whole lot better, and you let me forget about everyone else in the world. We make each other safe by just being in each other's arms, which says a lot. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Ezra, and that means I get to fall in love with you over and over again."

When I finished that last sentence, I was in tears, just thinking of all the memories we've shared together. He looked just about speechless. His mouth was open, and he was trying to make words. I laughed and looked back to the priest who now pronounced us husband and wife.

"You may kiss your bride," the man said to Ezra, who quickly closed the gap between us and kissed me passionately. I immediately forgot about the ceremony, and the rings on our fingers, and the people all around. It was just us, and being entangled in each other's arms, and being able to kiss with no more worries, was the best gift I could possibly get.

We separated when we heard the sudden claps and cheers of our family and friends. We held each other's hand as we began to run down the aisle. The car was parked right out front, and before we got in, I threw the bouquet up over my head in back of me. I turned around to see who caught it. It was Hanna. I gasped, as she smiled and giggled. Looks like I was going to go to another wedding soon!

I laughed as Ezra picked me up bridal-style and placed me in the car. I waved goodbye to everyone before we were off to his apartment.

We got there quickly, and he carried me to that familiar door,3B. We got inside, and I sighed. "That was…"

"Perfect," he finished. "You look absolutely beautiful. And your vows, they were unbelievable," he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me.

"Hey! I had to change my lame vows to make them better than yours! Yours made me cry! " I pointed out, giggling, while he started to tickle me.

"I saw….I'm glad they made an impression," he joked, wiping the hair out of my eyes.

"And you know, you looked very, very handsome in your suit. And you know I love your hair like that…." I teased, walking behind him and running my hands through his hair.

He smiled, spinning around and taking my hand. "I hope you're not tired!" he said, dragging me to the

safety of his comfortable bed.

"I was thinking the same thing," I giggled, as I pulled him into me.

The next Morning:

Ezra POV:

"Are you ready?" I called to Aria, who was getting dressed in the bedroom. We were going to drive to the Grille to get coffee.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" she replied, as she exited the room. "Okay, let's go!" she said, grabbing arm playfully and pulling me up from the chair. I kissed her gently before we left and started to drive to the diner. There was a line of cars in front of us as we were just around the corner from the Grille, and I started to turn into the parking lot. We never made it in, because we were suddenly flown forwards by a huge truck hitting us from the back. I tried to swerve the car to get the car back on its four wheels, but then another car coming out from the parking lot across the street hit us once again from behind with even more force. Aria and I were screaming, before I slammed my head into the steering wheel and everything went black.

Aria POV:

The car was trying to regain its balance when yet another car hit us from behind. I, being the idiot that never did this, forgot to out my seatbelt on, causing me to be flown forwards. My head hit something incredibly hard, and I heard glass shatter and fall onto me as my face fell on top of the hood on the car, and everything just…..blanked.

**Okay! So, that was the start of the plot! Please tell me what you thought of it! Xoxo Courtney**


	4. I was getting a cheeseburger

**Good Afternoon! So, yes, I did see The Vow, and that's the way I was going to go with the story, but I'm only going to have that storyline for a little bit, maybe 5 chapters, then something else will happen. The question is…what should it be? I want YOU to tell me your ideas on what I should bring Ezria next. **

Ezra POV:

I had been waiting in the oh-so-familiar hospital, hoping for Aria to wake up. They had told me that she had a concussion, and it was very probable for her to have memory loss. If she can't remember, the doctor will see how bad it is and give an approximate time length that it would last, but anything could last forever.

I was holding her hand, squeezing it gently every now and then. We had JUST gotten married for god's sake, why does this always happen to us? I heard footsteps behind me and I turned around to see the doctor. "How is she?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Still the same." I heard a moan escape Aria's lips and I spun around to face her.

She struggled to open her eyes, as if the light was blinding her, and once she succeeded, her eyes scanned the room. "Wh-Where am I?"

"Aria, Hi," the doctor greeted, trying to calm her down.

"Hi…" Aria responded, still confused.

"Aria, it's okay. You were in a car accident yesterday. You went through the windshield and got a concussion. Do you remember that?" the doctor asked.

Aria shook her head no, and reached to feel her head. She winced. "No…"

"What is the last thing you do remember? Can you tell me?" the doctor questioned nicely.

Aria tried to think for a minute. I remember going to a bar after I dropped Mike, my brother off at….what was it, oh right! Lacrosse practice."

"Do you know how old you were?"

"Sixteen….. and I'm still sixteen.."

"Aria, you're 18, now sweetie…" The doctor explained sympathetically. Aria started to breathe quickly and started to panic. She looked down at her hand, which was in mine, and she quickly slid it out from my grasp. She brought it away to her other side and looked at me strangely. "Who are you..?"

"You don't know who I am?" I asked, gulping.

"Sorry."

"Aria…I'm…your husband," I murmured, afraid of her response.

Aria took a deep breath, and I noticed her eyes start to swell with tears. "Aria, do you remember anything you did at that bar?" the doctor asked.

"Umm….I was getting a cheeseburger, if that helps," she whispered.

"You have a good memory from that day in the bar," the doctor tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, well, apparently not good enough. I can't even remember this guy?" she started to yell, pointing at me.

"Aria, honey you should keep your voice down.." I shushed her. She looked over at me, and gave me a look.

"Where are my parents?" she asked, rubbing her hands together.

"They're here, I bet they're coming right n—" I was interrupted by Ella and Byron walking in with tears in their eyes. "Hi, Ella. Byron," I started.

Byron leaned down to my ear and whispered to me. "Can she remember?"

I shook my head sorrowfully, and he patted me on the back.

"Ezra, do you think we could have a minute alone with her?" Ella asked politely. I nodded my head in understanding as I walked out, not before rubbing Aria's arm gently.

Ella and Byron came out a few minutes later and walked over to me. "How is she?" I asked.

"She calmed down a little bit…We know that she doesn't remember you. We're so sorry…." She said, rubbing my shoulder.

I sighed. "What did the doctor say?" I asked.

"That she doesn't remember anything from the past 2 years. It's common, but it also means that she's going to have a really hard time trying to regain her memory. Most likely, she's going to remember in bits, and then hopefully, she'll gain all her memories at one time. That could be in days, months, years….we don't know."

I shook my head. "When is she going to be discharged?"

"In two days, if she keeps responding to the antibiotics. She asked, for common things, like clothes, and a book or two maybe. We thought you could do that, you know, maybe if you interact with her more, she'll remember things easier."

I nodded. I told them I would get things to bring her now, and that I'd be back in a half hour. I was going to try my best for her to remember me, and us…and I was going to do it, even if it killed me.

**Remember, tell me your ideas! And review! Xoxo Courtney**


	5. The story of us

**Hi! Sorry that I fell off the face of the earth. This might just be a quick chapter, but I promise that they;'ll get longer as I go. Enjoy!**

Ezra POV:

I opened the door slowly, afraid of what I was about to walk into. I peered through the crack, and saw the love of my life, my wife, Aria. Who DIDN'T remember me. She looked over, and sat up in her bed. I opened the door completely and made my way over to her. "Hey," I greeted.

"Um..hey," Aria exclaimed as if she were surprised I was here. "Not trying to be rude or anything, but…..why are you here?" she asked, scrunching her eyebrows together.

"Well," I started, as I out the backpack full of her things from my apartment. "There are several reasons. One, Ella and Byron asked me to pack up some things from my place to bring you. _Your request_. Second, I'm your husband, and I know that that may be hard to take in right now, but we got married the day before the accident. Third, I'm always going to be here, I'm gonna be by your side through it all, even if you can't remember who I am," I sighed.

"I really am sorry…for not remembering. I know it must be hard for you."

I nodded in agreement. "It is," I admitted. "When are you getting discharged?" I asked.

"Today, probably in a half hour," she said happily. I knew that she always hated hospitals since the kidnapping, but she couldn't even recall that ever happening. "Where are you going to go?" I asked, curious of her future answer.

Aria scratched her head. "I'm not sure. Probably going to stay at my parents' house, or..well you probably don't know."

"Know what?"

"Never mind. Why would you ask?"

I gulped. "I was thinking that maybe you could come and live with me, you know, maybe some things will jog your memory?" I suggested.

Aria shook her head, unsure. "I don't know you, though. That's an issue that we'll have to solve, I guess," she claimed.

I took her hand in mind. I rubbed my thumb over the top of her hand like I always did. "Please, Aria. Come live with me. I promise that I will never hurt you, or scare you, or anything like that."

Aria hesitated to slip her hand out from mine, but ended up squeezing my hand instead. She stared at our hands for a while before finally responding. "Okay. I trust you"

I smiled, as I had to force myself not to kiss her. It was almost like a reflex for the both of us.

"So, this is it. Our home," I smiled, as I opened the door, letting her in first. She giggled as she spun around to look at everything in the apartment.

"It's so small!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Yet, perfect for someone like me. I love books, and literature, and I kept a—" she started but I finished her sentence.

"You kept a journal when you went to Iceland. You always hoped you could maybe make it a story someday," I continued.

Her mouth seemed to drop, and I laughed at her reaction. "One of the first things I learned about you," I smiled.

She sat down on the leather couch and ran her fingers over the texture. "So, how DID we meet, anyways?" she asked.

"Well, let me just say that we weren't the _ordinary _couple," I started, slowing down.

Aria laughed. "How?"

For a moment I debated with myself whether I should tell her how we met in a bar, made out in the bathroom, the next day, we learned that I was her teacher, yet we still continued our forbidden affair, meanwhile she was getting texts from Noel, or 'A', and her parents didn't know. I took a deep breath, as I sat down next to her. I was about to tell her the story of us, and how it changed her life.

**CLIFFHANGER! So, how do you think Aria's gonna handle it? Oh! And if you have any ideas for me to do if she regains her memory, please tell! I hope you enjoyed! Review! Xoxo Courtney**


	6. Too much to process

**Hi! Sorry for the late update. I've been constantly hit with loads of schoolwork, and I'm only in middle school, ahah. So, yeah! Thanks for the reviews, and enjoy! **

_She sat down on the leather couch and ran her fingers over the texture. "So, how DID we meet, anyways?" she asked._

_"Well, let me just say that we weren't the __ordinary __couple," I started, slowing down._

_Aria laughed. "How?"_

_For a moment I debated with myself whether I should tell her how we met in a bar, made out in the bathroom, the next day, we learned that I was her teacher, yet we still continued our forbidden affair, meanwhile she was getting texts from Noel, or 'A', and her parents didn't know. I took a deep breath, as I sat down next to her. I was about to tell her the story of us, and how it changed her life._

Ezra POV:

"Well, what is the LAST thing you remember in that bar?" I questioned her, scratching my head.

She looked up for a moment, searching her mind for answers, but she wasn't getting anything. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "I was sitting on the stool, I asked for a cheeseburger, and I looked over across the bar and I saw Ali's 'Missing' poster…..she trailed off. Aria jumped as if she was jolted with electricity. "Was….was Ali ever found? Did she ever come back?"

_Oh god. I have to tell her about Ali too. _"We'll uh, talk about her later," I responded. "Okay, well, when you were in that bar, I was sitting two stools down from you."

Aria squinted her eyes. "That does sound familiar, I'm pretty sure there was _somebody _sitting there too. Go on," she exclaimed, smiling.

I smiled. She was making some sort of progress; and ANY progress is good for me. "I asked, if you were alright, because you looked kind of, spaced out, I guess."

"I had just came back from Iceland!" she interrupted. I nodded my head.

"And I said that I also spent some time in Europe; and that lead to you asking if I went to Hollis, which is the local college here….I had just graduated, and I was going to start my first teaching job. Then, "our song" I should say, came on the juke box. It was…Happiness, by The Fray?" I said, unsure of her future response.

"God, I love that song," she whispered, looking at me with eager eyes. I chuckled.

"I said, B-26," I continued. She knitted her eyebrows, confused, and I began again. "It was the number that I had picked on the jukebox."

"Ah, I see," Aria murmured, rubbing her chin slightly. She moved a little closer, and sat up on her knees, leaning back on the couch.

"We started talking about English, and how you were leaning towards it as your major. You said you wrote too, and I had asked if I could read some of those some time."

Aria nodded. "I said that I'd like to know more about you, and you responded the same thing….The next thing we knew…"

"What?" she asked, putting her hands behind her head.

"We were…making out in the bar's bathroom," I chuckled, trying to wiped the smirk on my face. Aria, at this point, was laughing and smiling, which, I took as a good sign.

"So, that's how we met….How is that not ordinary?" she asked, curious.

"Because, the next day, which was the first day of school, I turned out to be your teacher," I sighed. All sounds in the room were silenced. Aria looked at me with feared eyes, and sat away for a second, taking it all in.

"And…we continued. You…convinced me to go along with it?" she asked, disgusted.

I shook my head quickly. "No, no, no. You convinced _me _to try it. I broke it off as soon as we found out, but….we just couldn't stay away from each other."

Aria nodded her head, trying to process everything. "And my parents?"

"We didn't tell them for a while. It was a big issue, but it turned out all right. I moved to Hollis, so I was't your teacher anymore, and we continued from there."

Aria just started to burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe this!" she exclaimed, holding her stomach out of laughter.

"It's all true, I swear. I would never lie, or ever try to hurt you Aria. I love you," I confessed, soon regretting those last few words because I bet that was too soon. "I'm sorry…" I apologized.

Her face seemed to concentrate on mine, and she seemed to be trying to figure something out. "What?" I asked.

Aria shook her head unsure. "Where's Ali?"

"Aria….I don't think you want t—"

"Tell me. Please," she begged, desperate for answers. I sighed.

"Honey….Ali's dead," I whispered.

**Do you think Aria trusts Ezra? Does she have any feelings for him yet? Hm….. Review!**


	7. Magnets

**Update!**

Aria POV  
>Everything in that moment turned to stone. I was just told that my best friend was dead. I had a strange feeling, I had this feeling for a while, but….I guess that I just refused to believe it. One leading to a few more tears shed from my eye, and Ezra sat closer to rub my cheek. That gesture seemed so familiar.<p>

I sniffled as I ran my fingers under my wet eyes. "She was murdered?" I asked, choking out those dreadful words.

He took his hands in mine, and I didn't mind. "Yeah. They never knew who did it," he continued. "I'm so sorry, Aria."

I took a few breaths before the tears started to slow down. "I just can't believe it," I whispered, as I immediately, almost as it was a reflex, leaned into Ezra's strong arms. I nestled my head into his neck as he tightened his arms around my waist; and we just stayed there for a while. I felt safe, right there, in his arms.

"It would be so much easier if you remembered everything," Ezra murmured, rubbing his eyes. He was upset. He was trying to hide it, but he can't hide from me. "Things were already heard enough the first time," he said, rubbing his hands through my hair.

I sat back up to look through his eyes. "Maybe if we take things slow, things the second time will be even better," I suggested.

Ezra raised his eye brows. "You're a little different too….Everything's changed."

"I doubt you did," I responded.

"I just want to protect you," Ezra defended himself. "And falling in love with you again should be fun," he murmured. I looked at him, concentrating.

"What?" he asked.

I struggled with words. "It's the way you look at me. I could see how you feel. It's probably one of the things that made me fall in love with you the first time," I thought aloud.

"You'll always have the same heart….the same soul….You're still my Aria," he said.

I don't know what was going on with me. It was like a magnet was put between us, and I was moving closer and closer so quickly that I couldn't keep up: Not that I'm complaining. I trusted Ezra.

"And how's that working out so far?" I questioned, slowly moving in.

Ezra's eyes were filled with want, but there was caution in them as well. "I fell in love with you three years ago. There wasn't a time that I didn't love you; and the fact that this is happening all over again just makes me love you even more," Ezra stuttered, squeezing my hands. "If that were even possible."

I put his hands in my lap. Our faces were inches apart. "I believe anything's possible. And you must too," I whispered, almost closing the gap.

"We should get some sleep," Ezra mumbled, holding himself back. I giggled softly before reaching to hold the back of his neck and bring his lips to mine. Sparks seem to fly inside of me, and we smiled against each other's mouths. For him, I knew it felt like he hadn't kissed me since forever.

We parted after a minute or so, out of breath, and being only able to smile.

"I thought you said that we should take things slow.." Ezra breathed, caressing my face with his hand.

I laughed, my head leaning into his hand. "Something tells me we've been breaking the rules since we first met," I exclaimed, yawning.

Ezra nodded. "You got that right," he chuckled. "I think we should go to sleep now," he said.

"Alright, let's go!" I sang, pulling his hands up and dragging him with me; but he was to strong and stopped.

"No, no, no, Aria. I think that maybe I should just sleep on the couch. You could have the bed," he panicked.

I stood there in confusion. "What's wrong with that? Why, have we…?" I trailed off.

Ezra laughed, his boyish smile brightening up the low-lit room. "Oh, yes," he chuckled.

I smiled. "Fine, but I would have….behaved," I said, feeling weird. I was being so outgoing and flirty tonight. Was that how I usually was? I guess that I was just comfortable around him.

Ezra smiled again. "I know you, Aria; and you NEVER stay on your own side…and neither do I," he exclaimed.

"But—" I tried to argue, but Ezra started to walk towards me. "If you'll sleep better, you could have my Hollis tee-shirt in the top drawer of my dresser. You used to wear it all the time," he noted, before he kissed my head gently before backing away towards the door.

"Thanks," I smiled, as I sat on the bed. "Hey, Ezra?" I asked, catching him before he closed the door.

He turned around, grinning at me. "Thank you, for everything. I know it must be hard, but we'll make this work. We got off to a good start," I laughed.

Ezra shook his head and chuckled to himself. "Goodnight, Aria. I love you," he yelled in a soft voice.

I rubbed my eyes as I pulled out the Hollis Tee Shirt. It was way oversized, but easy and comfortable for me to wear. I almost said 'I love you too' back, but I knew I wasn't ready yet. We would try to slow things down; but something told me that wouldn't work out so well.

**Aw! She has feelings for him! Are things going too fast? Do you think Ezra will try and slow things down? Will she start to remember more? So many questions! Haha please review! Xoxo Courtney**


	8. Nightmare

**AN- I am SO sorry that I abandoned all of you! I was hit with school work, and then I was having a writer's block (again) for this story, so if any of you want to help me with this story message me! To tell you the truth, I liked my first story SO MUCH better than this one. So, yeah…..Anyway, if this chapter stinks, don't give it up! I'm just trying to get back into my zone. **

Aria POV:

I tossed and turned all night. I felt incomplete. And cold. I wrapped Ezra's sheets more tightly around me as I turned onto my other side. At this point, one of the pillows was on the floor and the sheets were anything but covering the mattress. Ezra was going to kill me in the morning. I closed my eyes again and tried harder to fall into a slumber.

_I woke up, not knowing where I was or what happened that I ended up here. I turned my head to try to see if I recognized the room I was in, but then I noticed a sharp wince of pain shot through my head, so I froze. I went to reach to feel the wound that was there, but my wrists were tried the arms of the chair and my feet were tied together._

_"Hello?" I yelled, hoping somebody would come, but nobody did….at the moment._

_I struggled to try and squeeze my wrists out of the loop that was grasping them, but I was having difficulties. I rubbed my wrists against the rope so quickly and hard that it felt like my hands were on fire; and burning. I winced, and groaned from the pain._

_I heard a noise from behind me. "Hello?" I asked again. "Is anybody there?"_

_Then I wearily saw a black figure walk upon me. I remembered that I had seen the same black figure before I blacked out. This person must've given me the gash on my head. I grimaced._

_I then started to wonder: Could this be A? Can I actually discover all the answers to the questions that have kept building and building up since Ali went missing?_

_I spoke up. "Are you who I think you are?" I asked, suspiciously._

_The figure turned to me. I couldn't see his face; and it looked like he was wearing a ski mask. When he spoke, I could still hear him: "The monster in all your nightmares? You're biggest fear?" they responded._

_Well, yeah, basically. I nodded slowly. I heard a chuckle. "Who are you?" I asked, again. "And why am I here?"_

_The figure came closer and whispered in my ear. "I think you ask too many questions…." And right after he finished that sentence I received a slap in the face._

I quickly woke up screaming after that. My cheeks felt cold and wet, and I was sweating like crazy. I felt something on my wrist, so I quickly looked over to my right to see a very worried and tired Ezra.

So many thoughts ran through my head. Was that a memory? And who was this A person that I was thinking about? And why was I trapped inside that _torture chamber?_ Ezra snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Aria, are you okay?" he asked, rubbing my hands with his. All of the sudden, more tears started to stream down my face as I wiped my eyes. "I had a nightmare; but it…..it was more vivid than any other dream that I've had."

Ezra nodded slowly, and sat on the bed, sighing at the messed up sheets. I managed a small smile. "Tell me about it," Ezra exclaimed, caressing my face.

I looked down for a moment, debating whether I should tell him or not, but then I remembered that I WAS married to him before….the accident. I looked up and took a deep breath.

"Well, there are a few things that happened. I was...locked inside this dark room. My hands and feet were tied together. This man…wearing a mask came in and I thought of this person—A..? And then I started to ask him if he was who I _thought _he was, and he slapped me across the face really hard. That's all I can remember," I choked, trying to erase the fear out of my mind.

Ezra POV:

I immediately went into a state of panic. Why, out of all the things she could remember during the course of our relationship, could she remember that? Aria's going to freak if she ever finds out. I shifted on the bed uncomfortably, got off, and started to pace. I ran my hands though my hair, breathing quickly and heavily. This should not be happening.

"Ezra?" she asked. I looked over at her, my eyes burning into her head. "Please, please, tell me. I need to know why I was there, because it seems like this…..this actually happened, right?" she asked out of fear.

I nodded, as I started to walk over to her side again. I brushed the strand of hair that was in her eyes and took her hands in mine. "But, it's better that you don't know. This thing that happened did you no good before the accident," I tried to explain to her with hopeful eyes.

"Ezra. Tell me," Aria begged, more tears. I sighed, rubbing my eyes in frustration. Fine. I would tell her.

Aria POV:

He sat in front of me and placed a short, soft kiss on my lips before he started to speak. He cleared his throat. "Aria...it was after we had an argument…"

"About what?" I asked, curious. I wanted to know every possible thing there was.

Ezra sighed again. He looked as if these memories were haunting him. "It was over my ex-fiance, Jackie." He paused to look up at me.

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "The same seems familiar," I stated.

"Jackie threatened you when I was buying you some yogurt, and when you told me, I, being the complete idiot, didn't believe you…at first. Apparently you tried to come to my apartment to try and patch things up, but you never made it," Ezra whispered.

I jumped at his last sentence. What does he mean, _I didn't make it?_ "What happened?" I questioned.

Ezra squeezed my hands. "Aria, you were kidnapped."

**Cliffhanger! Well, sort of. All of y'all who read my first story knows that, but all of you who were shocked, you don't have to, but it would make more sense if you went and read my first fic, **_**I'll Always Be Here.**_** So, what did you think? How do think Aria will react? Xoxo Courtney**

**P.S. Remember, if you wanna help out with ideas for each chapter, please do say in your review, or message me. Hope you enjoyed! **


	9. Marriage Fallouts

**Hi guys! Happy Easter! **

Aria POV:

_Aria, you were kidnapped. _The words just kept on playing over and over in my head. "I was kidnapped. By—by who?" I asked.

Ezra looked deeply in my eyes. "Jackie, who we already talked about…and Jason Dilaurentis."

"Jason!" I exclaimed. He left after Ali died! Wait….how did I remember that?

"He was working for Jackie," Ezra exclaimed.

I gulped. "Okay. So…what happened?" I asked, fearing what could've happened to me. Many possibilities played in my mind.

"For you, nothing that major. A few cuts, needed a few stitches. They patched you right up though," Ezra stated, playfully tapping my nose once lightly, making me giggle.

"Did I escape? Or did you come for me?"

"I came for you; and unfortunately things didn't turn out that well for us."

I gave him a look as if to say go more in depth. He sighed. "I got stabbed in the back. It took me a while to recover, and you…..you stabbed Jason, killing him."

I KILLED SOMEONE? "Oh my god. I'm a monster," I claimed, tears welling up in my eyes. Ezra immediately wiped them away with his thumb and took my face in his hands. Again, the touch was familiar.

"Aria, you are in no way a monster. You did it out of anger, and fear, and defense. You were fighting for your life in there."

"I was fighting for you too, I bet" I noted, smiling. Ezra smiled and kissed me on the cheek. His lips were on my cheek a little longer than he had planned and I started to laugh.

Ezra parted from me. "You know, this is terrible to say, but we both know that I was very grateful that THAT happened to us. You being kidnapped, it tore me apart, but when it was all over, and all that other stuff that you don't need to know about happened, we were closer than ever. We actually became normal," he exclaimed.

"You sacrificed so much for me," I stated, touching his face. Ezra interrupted me with a boyish smile.

"We both sacrificed for each other," he corrected. I smiled, and leaned in for a kiss.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, and he gladly did so. He wrapped his muscular arms around my waist as I threw myself on him. We both laughed as I almost fell off the couch. He ran his hands through my hair and our kisses became more heated. I reached for the hem of his shirt before Ezra jumped away. "Oh no, not so fast," he stuttered. "You're moving fast. Just…slow down," he chuckled.

I don't know what came over me, but I started to cry. Ezra became confused as he tried to calm me down. "Aria, what's wrong? Please talk to me," he pleaded.

I wiped my eyes, still sniffling. "I just want to love you the way I did. I wish this never happened to us. I look at you, and all I see is fear, and disappointment, and….and love. And, I'm so sorry that I can't return that look of love back to you. I just can't."

Ezra started to get upset. I could see it in his eyes. "I just want everything to go back to normal. I just want to remember! I don't want to wake up screaming and crying because there was a bad memory. I just want this to all go away!" I started to yell, more tears streaming down my face.

Ezra wiped under his eyes. "I'm ruining your life. I don't want you to have to deal with this anymore. I don't want you to suffer through the pain a second time, Aria. I can't do that to you."

I suddenly got confused. Was he giving up? On us? "Wait….what are you saying?" I questioned.

Ezra cleared his throat as he tried to get himself together. "I—I want a divorce."

**I never wanted this chapter to end so sadly! Aw! What did you think? Should I end this story soon? Or finish up this current plot and move to another one for this story? Xoxo Courtney**


	10. Round and 'Round Again

**Woah, woah, woah! I never knew you guys would be so upset about him wanting a divorce. I think you guys know me long enough to know that I would never do that to these too. I mean, come on! Ahha. So, I updated again to make sure that I satisfy your Ezria happiness needs. Love you all!**

Ezra POV:

Once I said those three words, I immediately regretted them; but there's a reason.

Aria POV:

My jaw had dropped to the floor. "A divorce? Are you being serious right now?" I asked, getting angry. I crossed my arms over my chest.

Ezra wiped his eyes. "You know that leaving will be the hardest thing for me, but it's what's best for you. You don't deserve to relive a nightmare. You could have another chance at life without having to remember that you hooked up with your English teacher, and that you hated your parents, and that you lost touch with your friends. You're 18, Aria, this is supposed to be having fun."

"But Ezra—"

"I love you Aria, I really do," he confessed. "But like you just said, things can never go back to where they were. I don't deserve you," he exclaimed, sitting back down in the couch after pacing the floor.

I couldn't believe this was actually happening right now. "Who will take care of me? You can't just leave me here with no idea where to go and what to do because I CAN'T REMEMBER? You were helping me, and you're just giving up?" I questioned him, my eyes burning into his.

Ezra sighed. "You see," he gestured the tension between us. "This isn't what a marriage is supposed to be like."

I turned away from him as I started to cry silently. "Ezra, fine. But please, just…stay with me for the rest of the week," I pleaded.

Ezra turned toward me and opened his mouth. "Aria—"

"Please," I begged. Ezra rolled his eyes and frustration.

"Please," I whispered again. Ezra was about to argue, but gave in. "Fine. For the rest of the week," he gave in.

I smiled in relief, as I jumped up hugged him tightly. He didn't respond at first, but then after a few seconds I felt a pair of arms wrap around my torso. We stayed like that for a while, and it felt good.

The rest of the day was spent as usual, watching tv and movies, talking, and reheating Chinese take-out. When it came to the end of the day, I wanted to go to sleep a little early. Ezra decided to sleep with me this time because he hoped that it would help me sleep better without any nightmares. When we got into bed, and he wrapped his arms around me, I felt safe.

I fell into a distant sleep after about 10 minutes, him still by my side, our bodies intertwined.

I heard an alarm clock go off at about 7 in the morning. It wasn't mine, obviously. I heard somebody get up, along with the creaking of the floor with each step he took. I felt a presence near me, and I suddenly felt a pair of lips on mine. It lasted about 10 seconds, and I smiled against his lips. I moved my hand to his cheek.

"Goodmorning," he exclaimed, putting his forehead against mine. "Go back to sleep, I'm just making breakfast," Ezra claimed, and ran his hands through my hair once before walking away.

I smiled and went back into my peaceful slumber…

My eyes shot open when I heard a door close shut. I shot up from the comfort of the sheets and looked around the room. He wasn't there. "He couldn't have," I whispered in denial as I started to panic. I looked down to see a neatly folded piece of paper on my lap. I cursed as I opened it up to see his handwriting.

_Aria-_

_I'm glad that you didn't wake up once last night. You didn't even toss or turn. I guess that means you didn't have nightmares! Anyway, I didn't plan to leave like this, and hopefully, when you read this, I'll be far gone. Don't ever think that I didn't love you during the course of our relationship. Don't ever think that. You're my everything, Aria, and you may not remember this, but I said that I'd always be there for you. Keep in mind that I always will. You deserve another chance at life without any complications. You're sort of lucky, to get a re-do. I just know that I wouldn't take back anything about us. I wouldn't take back anything at all. _

_ Ezra_

A tear shed from my eye and dropped to his name on the paper. "No," I exclaimed, as I got out of bed and quickly ran out the door. I didn't care that I was only wearing underwear and Ezra's oversized Hollis tee shirt, the only that on my mind was getting to him before it was too late. Maybe it was…

I ran down the hallway and didn't want to wait minutes in the elevator, so I headed for the stairs. I don't know how I made it down the staircase that fast, but I guess this was an instinct. I knew that I couldn't live without him. I knew that I loved him.

I continued to make my way to make my way to the lobby. I slowed down and stopped when I got to the doorway. I saw the only man that I would give up my life for in that room. It was a man standing at the front desk with a suitcase and his satchel at his feet. It was Ezra Fitz.

I sighed in relief as I took in that I wasn't too late; but I wasn't going to get too sure of myself that he wasn't going to leave me. Ezra's back was towards me, so I tip-toed my way around him and stood at the doors of the building. It was now or never.

Ezra POV:

I put the last stack of papers in my satchel, trying to make them fit. As I failed, a picture, flew out of its place and I hurried to catch it before it hit the floor. I flipped it over so I could see the photo, and I smiled. It was Aria. It was us. It was the picture that she had taken with her phone. It was the picture of us with the paper bags over our heads. It was our first picture taken as a couple. I brought the picture up to my lips and kissed it, before gently placing it back into its compartment in the satchel. I buckled it up after finally managing the papers in, and placed it on my shoulder.

I leaned down to pick up the suitcase, squeezing I before I l turned around. I took a deep breath as I took in the sight before me. A petite girl stood by the doors, in nothing but underwear and my shirt, wit tears in her eyes. "Aria."

Aria POV:

"Ezra," I exclaimed, chocking up in a cry. Ezra started to cautiously move towards me, as I stayed put in my place. "You said that you'd always be here for me," I stated.

"I'm sorry, Aria. I'm just thinking of you," he mumbled.

"Do you have any idea how important you are to me?" I asked, wiping my eyes.

"I do, Aria, I do. But—" he tried to explain but I cut him off.

"I can't live without you; and I know that you can't be without me either," I noted.

"I know," Ezra admitted. I bit my lip in frustration.

I gestured to his suitcase. "So, why?" I questioned him. More tears started to clog up my eyesight.

Ezra put his suitcase down on the dirty tiled floor and moved his hands to his pockets. "It's….complicated…" he began. I took a step towards him.

"You're confused, just like I was after the accident," I told him. Suddenly, and image showed up in my mind.

_"Aria, will you promise me something?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist._

_"Depends on what it is," I said, trying to lighten the mood. I cried enough for today._

_"Don't hate me," he replied._

_I stared into his eyes, searching for clues. What made him think that I hated him, or would hate him? "Ezra," I sighed. "I could never hate you. This isn't your fault, none of this was ever your fault, so don't blame yourself," I added, fixing his hair that was messed up from the rain._

_Ezra still wasn't satisfied. "Well, I want to make sure. Just remember all the good times we've had together. The kisses, the other day, when I had that whole day planned for us, that NIGHT, and think about the bad times too. Think about all the arguments we've had, if you really want to, but when you do, think about how we fought them. We overcame them all. But, this…..this, is something that we can't overcome. It's something where something has to be done. I never wanted to break your heart, Aria, that is the number one thing I made sure I never did. Don't remember me as that guy. Please. Please…?" he asked, desperately. I saw a couple of tears fall and hit the ground._

_I started to cry as I wiped his tear-stained cheek with my thumb. "You know what I'll remember you as? My soul mate. My lover. My best friend. My place of comfort, and my hero. Because I love you, and I will never think of you as the guy who broke my heart, because you never did. Yeah, times were tough, but we made it through."_

_Ezra sighed and mouthed a 'thank you'. "Just…promise me something in return?" I asked._

_"Anything," he replied, stroking my cheek._

_"Don't forget about me," I pleaded. That was the last thing I ever wanted._

Ezra didn't say anything. "We gave up on each other, Ezra. Do you remember when we let other people win that night in the rain?"

_Ezra was only about ten steps away from the bus; and then it hit me. I remembered the parking lot kiss. I was going to let him leave, but I couldn't. I couldn't let him leave me like that, even though it was to help our relationship. Why wasn't I doing anything now?_

_"Ezra!" I screamed. He just kept walking, probably because it would be too hard to look back._

_"You were right about one thing, Ezra! I do love you, and you think I love you enough to let you go, but that's where there's a problem!"_

_Tear after tear rolled down my cheeks. I wanted to play it out like it was just rain pouring down on my face. "I love you __TOO __much to let you go! I love you too much that I can't live without you! I love you too much that I want to go with you! I love you too much that you can't leave me standing here like this. What's happening isn't fair! I can't let you go again! That's what I promised myself the day you left Rosewood! Please, don't leave!" I begged, screaming, and crying at the same time; but by then the bus had pulled up at the bus stop. Ezra probably just got on._

_I was too late. "Damn!" I screamed, as I stomped, and fell to the hard concrete sidewalk. I trembled and shook as I cried, sitting on the ground. I was probably making a complete fool out of myself. I heard the bus start again, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the bus leave._

Ezra nodded. "I remember. Things were hectic, but things turned out all right," he said smiling.

_I sniffled and looked up across from me, to the bus stop. I gasped at the sight in front of me. There, in front of me, was the love of my life, the person who didn't get on the bus, the man that thank god, didn't leave, Ezra Fitz._

I nodded. "Ezra, you're not sure of your feelings, you're not sure what to do; but even through all this, there's only one thing that I'm sure of," I said knowingly.

Ezra looked up from the ground and waited for what I was going to say.

"I love you, Ezra Fitz," I admitted confidently. That was all it took for him. He made his way over to me, slid his hand up my neck until his hand was on my cheek and his fingers were below my ear. He crushed his lips to mine. It was what I needed. It was what we BOTH needed. I brought him closer to me to close the gap between us. After what seemed like forever, he picked me up to twirl me, and gently put me back on the ground.

He brought my face close to his as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "I love you too, Aria Montgomery; and I know that we can make this work."

**TA DA! All I have to say is, 'How 'bout that?' I absolutely loved this chapter, and I'm glad that I updated again today. I hope that I can get a decent amount of reviews for this, and I'm happy because I think I'm getting the feel of this again! Hope you enjoyed, and once again, HAPPY EASTER! Xoxo Courtney**


	11. Finally

**HI guys! I'm glad to see some happy reviewers after that last chapter. Thank you all so much!**

Aria POV:

We could barely make it up to the third floor without being stared at. Once the elevator doors closed, we continued kissing each other feverishly. I parted and ran my hand across his chest. "So, you're not leaving?" I asked.

Ezra chuckled, as he pecked my neck with his lips. "What do you think?"

I smiled. "Just making sure," I exclaimed, as the elevator doors opened. I pulled Ezra's hand as I dragged him into the safety of apartment 3B. Once the door was closed, Ezra picked me up bridal style and stumbled and walked until we reached our destination. Our night continued and continued until it was getting light outside the next morning.

"You still awake?" I asked, my head resting on Ezra's bare chest. I lifted my head to look up at him.

"Mmhm…" Ezra murmured, kissing my hairline. "Are you afraid to fall asleep?" he questioned.

I shook my head. "Not anymore. Only because I know that the love of my life will be right here when I wake up," I noted, smiling. Ezra chuckled.

"I love you," I claimed. "And thank you….for tonight, and everything we've been through."

Ezra laid his head back on the pillow as I felt his feet playing with mine, causing me to giggle. "Don't mention it," he said. "Let's try and go to sleep. I'm tired," he said laughing.

I giggled into his neck as I kissed him softly. I closed my eyes, not knowing that things could be different tomorrow.

_Ezra kept whispering, and then he suddenly froze. I heard him choke out a cry, and I froze as well. I took a step back to look at his face. His eyes were basically popping out of his head and his mouth was in the shape of an "o". I gasped as I saw the cause of his reaction. I screamed._

_The man had stabbed Ezra in his back. The knife's blade was still stuck in his shoulder, close to his heart, with the man breathing heavily. He saw my face and laughed uncontrollably._

_He started to walk away (without the knife) and headed for the door. I cried out as I grabbed the knife and pulled it out of his back. I saw the blood on the blade and groaned as Ezra fell to the floor. I ran after the figure right as he was about to leave and stabbed him in the same spot he had stabbed Ezra. He dropped to his knees, as I stabbed him repeatedly again and again and again…..until I was sure he was dead. I dropped the knife._

_I wasn't a murderer. He might've killed the love of my life, and he almost killed me. It was defense, it was revenge. He deserved to die. I knelt down to Ezra's side, and stroke my hand down his cheek._

_I took his hand and mine and desperately waited for a response. Anything. I just wanted a sign that he was going to survive this. I waited, and then I felt his fingers close tightly around my hand and squeezed it._

_I gasped. "Ezra. Baby, please wake up__. Please,"__ I begged._

_Miracles can happen, He opened his beautiful eyes slowly and gazed up at me. "Are you okay?" he asked. I could barely hear him because he couldn't speak while in so much agony._

_I couldn't believe it. He was stabbed, almost died, and was asking is __I__ was okay. A tear escaped and rolled down my cheek._

_"Ezra," I murmured, as I leaned down and kissed his lips._

Another memory popped into my head.

_I brought his hand up to my lips and pecked his fingers and the top of his hand. I heard a groan._

_My head shot up and looked for any sign on his face._

_I rubbed my hand against his, and I heard another groan. He struggled to open his eyes, and when he succeeded, I started to cry once more. "Ezra," I whispered. "How do you feel?" I asked._

_He struggled to talk. He couldn't quite make words yet, so instead he tried to give a thumbs up with his hands. I giggled, but out of how hard he was trying. He needed to take it slow, not started talking and gesturing like the snap of a finger._

_I grinned at the small smile on his face. He eyes were gazing into mine, as I leaned in to kiss him._

_When we parted, there were so many things I wanted to say to him, but I was only able to choke out one line. "You are the bravest man I have ever met, Ezra Fitz."_

It was after I was kidnapped, in the hospital.

_He gasped in agony after a few steps, but I rubbed his back. He grabbed my arm and continued to walk again._

_We made it down the long hallway. He smiled at me. "You're doing a fantastic job," I stated._

_He smiled, proudly, and turned around to walk the other way. I held his hand, and gaped in awe at him when he returned to the door._

_"We did it!" Ezra exclaimed happily._

_I laughed. "No, YOU did it," I said. "I just held your hand," I said, shrugging, as I helped him back into bed. I lay down beside him like I did before._

_"You made it possible. You were my only reason for trying," he exclaimed._

That was when he first walked after his surgery.

_A memory flooded into my mind. "I fell to the floor, because I hit my head on something. I was just lying on the floor, with my eyes closed, but I could hear stuff. Byron was still yelling at me. Everything went quiet, I heard staggered footsteps, and then I heard a punching sound. That's all I remember. Everything just…faded out after that,"_

_"So you remember?" Ezra asked in anxiety._

_I nodded. "Yeah, I just remembered everything."_

_"But you don't know this. __I __punched Byron, and then he fell. Ella ran over to you, and said that you weren't breathing. Then, I just fell backwards. Fainted, I guess."_

_**Ezra POV:**_

_"Oh my god! Are you okay, baby?" she asked. I knew that there would be a terrified and worried look on her face._

_"Yeah. It was just, too much to handle. I mean, we told your parents, they didn't handle it well, you got hurt, Byron got hurt, they know why you were gone from home, and I just couldn't take it. Plus, I was in complete shock when Ella said you weren't breathing. My world stopped, I swear," I continued._

That happened right after the incident in the hospital after we told Byron and Ella about us.

_Officer Greene knitted his eyebrows in annoyance and confusion as he turned to me. "I didn't finish. I'm NOT going to take Mr. Fitz in, but I do have to ask him, that when he fully recovers, he needs a few days to himself, and he needs to leave Rosewood," he explained._

_I closed my eyes at the word 'leave'. "I'd rather die than let him go," I said without thinking. It was true though. I thought about all we did to get here, right now. We had just fought for our relationship, and now a person of higher authority is taking him away from me. It isn't fair. Nothing's fair._

_"Aria, don't," Ezra started, looking at me. "It's time. It was bound to happen anyway. I'll face the consequences. "_

That was one of the worst days of my life: Officer Greene telling Ezra that he had to leave.

_After a few hours, I was resting my head on Ezra's sweaty chest. "Ezra?" I asked ._

_"Mhmm?" he mumbled._

_"I change my answer. Tonight was __beyond__ perfect," I whispered._

That was me and Ezra's "date day", and our first time.

_"So, you're staying?" I asked hopefully._

_He opened his eyes and smiled. "Yes. I'm staying."_

_I screamed in happiness and threw myself onto him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I squeezed him. He tightened his arms arou8nd my waist as we hugged each other for a few minutes. We just stayed there, wishing that things could be this easy._

That day I was the happiest girl in the world; Until Ella stopped by, completely ruining everything unintentionally.

_I sniffled and looked up across from me, to the bus stop. I gasped at the sight in front of me. There, in front of me, was the love of my life, the person who didn't get on the bus, the man that thank god, didn't leave, Ezra Fitz._

That memory popped up again. It was like I was reliving the time line of my life before the accident.

_"Run away with me," I murmured._

_Ezra's head shot up, and stared at me in shock. "You really want to?" he asked._

_"Yes," I smiled. "Run away with me. We could get away, and be somewhere, where we could actually live as a couple. Yes, they'll be searching for us, but you know? We'll just keep moving; and I'm completely fine with that," I started._

_Ezra laughed. "I can't believe we're actually doing this. That's just what we'll do. But, tell me, are you sure you want to do this?" he tested._

_I took his face in my hands. "I'm absolutely positive," I replied._

_"Okay. Well, there's something that I have to ask, before we get carried away."_

_Aria POV:_

_"Okay, what is it?" I demanded happily, stepping closer to him._

_Ezra stepped even closer and took my hands in his, kissing them, before he reached inside his pocket._

_He looked up at me with loving eyes as my mouth dropped. "Aria Montgomery, will you marry me?" he asked._

That day changed my life: When he asked me to marry him. I was speechless at first, but I ended up saying yes, because the thing I wanted most in life was to be with him forever.

_He stood there, frozen. I stood up from the couch quickly and took his face in my hands. I made him look at me. "Ezra," I sighed. "Answer me, please," I begged._

_His eyes threatened to shed a tear as he whispered words that even I had trouble understanding. "Its….it's Hardy. He—He's dead."_

That day was when I saw a completely different side of him. Ezra was desperate and lonely, and it broke my heart to see him like that.

_"So…..graduation is tomorrow," I pointed out. I felt like somebody had pressed the fast forward button on time. It felt lie just yesterday I was a freshman._

_"And it's also your 18th birthday," Ezra noted, playing with my fingers, and kissing them._

_I smiled. "And…I don't want you to come to the ceremony."_

_Ezra's smile faded into a frown. "Why..?" he asked, confused._

_"Because I don't think it's safe for you. I want to protect you, that's all I want to do. To keep you safe."_

_"Aria, that's crazy talk. I'm coming," I replied._

_"Please. As much as I want you to be there, in the audience, you can't. It's just better this way," I said sighing._

_Ezra looked like a light bulb had lit up above his head; yet I couldn't see what he was thinking. "So…..you don't want me to be in the audience… I can be anywhere but watching you from off the stage…" he said, smiling._

_"Anywhere, but watching me from the crowd. I don't want you up in a tree with binoculars either," I pointed out, grabbing his face._

_"Great. I got it covered," Ezra sighed happily as he attached our mouths. I knew that there was something he was thinking of, and there was a part of me that couldn't wait to see what it was going to be._

I didn't want Ezra to come to my graduation because I was afraid that the cops would find him and take him away. Obviously, he didn't care, and he was a man with a plan….

_I was bored out of my mind. There were so many people, and I was almost next. The principal interrupted and I sighed._

_He cleared his throat before he spoke loud and clear. "And now, we have a special guest to give the diplomas out to his class. Mr. Fitz, a former teacher of the P1 AP English class, please, be my guest," the principal welcomed._

_I then noticed a tall, dark haired figure, who had changed his suit, making it more formal. He caught my eye as he began reading off the names of the students in the class. My name was called: "Aria Montgomery." He said it with a smooth tone, and our gazes met. His smile was the largest I had ever seen, and it was adorable. He stood tall and proud as he waited for me to meet him._

_I heard the squeals of my best friends from somewhere in the room, and I smiled. Just like in my dream, but differently, I mouthed, 'I love you' to Ezra, and he got the message. I giggled as I made my way over to him._

I in no way saw this coming from Ezra. I was so surprised, and it made my day even better. Him being there was the best present I could ever possibly get.

I closed my phone, and squinted my eyes in confusion. I stared at the phone and thought about what A meant. I knew once I suddenly jolted forward, and the car spun out of control. I spun the wheel trying to get the car back on its four wheels, but it tilted to the side and fell on the ground, causing a crashing sound. Smoke arose from the front of the car, as I yelled for help.

Now I got what the surprise was. My hands went to my head as I felt the wound I got from my head hitting the steering wheel. I pulled back my hand from the pain and noticed the blood on my finger. I winced. I couldn't quite feel my left wrist, and I started to cry.

I pulled out my cell phone quickly, gasping. I dialed Ezra's number, and held the phone up to my ear.

_"Aria?" Ezra exclaimed on the first ring._

_"Ezra," I gasped, searching for words._

_Ezra quickly became worried. "Aria, what's wrong?" he demanded._

_I began to hear a beeping sound, and I panicked. "The c-car…..h-hit…I need h-help—Pl-please," I whispered._

_Ezra's breathing picked up in speed. "Oh my god, Aria where are you?"_

_"Rose and M-Maple st—street. Ezra there's a beeping sound and I'm scared! Please h-hur—" I whispered but couldn't quite finish the sentence._

_"Aria? Aria! Are you there?" Ezra asked. I heard him choked. The pain from my head increased, and I searched for words, but couldn't speak._

_My arm fell and my head rested back on the window, as my eyes drooped. The beeping sound was still ringing, and the sound never left my ears._

"A" went too far that same day, and being trapped in that car was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me, but Ezra came and rescued me just in time.

_EZRA POV:_

_"So, where do you want to go?" I asked._

_"I want to live in your apartment again!" she claimed._

_"I never sold it. I still own it," I said cheerfully._

_"I thought you leased it!" she said, surprised._

_"I was hoping that some miracle would come along….and it did," I exclaimed._

_Aria giggled, as she jumped up to kiss me. I hugged her tight, still thankful that she was alive._

_We walked back to her car, which one of the firemen drive here, and got inside. I turned on the radio,, and Happiness, our song, came on._

_We both looked at each other and reached for each other's hand. "Yeah, this sounds about right," Aria stated._

_I chuckled as we drove back to my apartment. When we walked up those familiar 3 flights of stairs and to my door, we looked at each other. "We've come a long way," Aria started._

_"And now, we can continue, with so fear," I replied._

_I opened the door to 3B and we walked inside, inhaling the familiar mint scent of the room. "I missed this place," Aria sighed, hugging me._

_"Me too. I love you, almost-to- be Mrs. Fitz," I claimed._

_She lifted her head to look up at me. "I love you too. I'm so glad I could have you here with me."_

_I chuckled. "Like I said, whenever you need me or want me; I'll always be here."_

_"Good, because I think I'll keep you around for a while," she teased, putting her hand on my chest. And with that, I closed the door. We no longer had to live in fear, or turmoil. We were going to begin a new, bigger, better life, and I wouldn't have it any other way._

The day that Ezra and I were finally free. We had discovered that Noel Kahn was A, my parents finally accepted us, Officer Greene said that he wouldn't have to leave, we didn't have to live in fear anymore. There was only happiness.

_"You may kiss your bride," the man said to Ezra, who quickly closed the gap between us and kissed me passionately. I immediately forgot about the ceremony, and the rings on our fingers, and the people all around. It was just us, and being entangled in each other's arms, and being able to kiss with no more worries, was the best gift I could possibly get._

One of the most important days of my life: When I got to become Mrs. Fitz.

_The car was trying to regain its balance when yet another car hit us from behind. I, being the idiot that never did this, forgot to out my seatbelt on, causing me to be flown forwards. My head hit something incredibly hard, and I heard glass shatter and fall onto me as my face fell on top of the hood on the car._

The tragedy that changed our lives forever; and completely took a toll on our relationship. Of course, I remember all the stuff that happened after that day. I was back. Yes, I was back.

The next morning, I woke up happy and refreshed. I felt as if nothing had happened to me. I looked over to see Ezra still sleeping. He started to chuckle in his sleep, making me giggle. I decided to surprise him with breakfast. I turned on cartoons on the TV and began my routine.

After the pancakes were made, I noticed that Ezra was still sleeping. I quietly made my way over to Ezra and got on the bed. I kissed his cheek, and when he didn't respond, I shrugged. I leaned over and straddled his hips. I leaned over onto his chest and kissed him passionately. I felt a pair of hands grip around my waist pulling me closer to kiss me more. He mumbled against my lips. "You used to do that all the time before—" 

"I know," I said, interrupting him with a smile.

Ezra's eyes widened. "You remembered that?" he asked. I nodded.

Ezra chuckled. "Did you happen to get anything else back?" he decided to ask.

I nodded my head quickly as tears started to form and shed my eyes. Ezra sat up in bed, brushing my cheek with his thumb. "What did you remember?"

I laughed softly as I wiped my eyes. "Everything," I exclaimed, as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

Ezra yelled in surprise. "Are you serious?" he questioned. "Don't lie, it all came back to you?" he asked happily.

I nodded as I gave him a kiss. When we parted, Ezra's eyes welled up with tears, before he exclaimed, "Come here, baby," pulling me into that familiar hug.

We held each other for what seemed like eternity, and we were nothing but happy. "I love you so much," I confessed, running my hands through his hair.

Ezra's mouth opened. "I—I just can't believe my baby girl came back," he said, kissing me again. I love you too, Aria."

I missed him so much, and it was so good to see him like this again.

**Aw! Did you guys like it? Huh? Huh? I hope you did! This may or may not be the end of this story. If so, I'll start another story totally not related to this. I want to continue with this story, but I need another plot (remember I did several plots in my first story) so send me your ideas! Review! Xoxo Courtney**


	12. AN Sorry!

**Sorry, but AN! **

**Were you guys unhappy with the last chapter? **

**Notinyourlifetimehoney- Exactly, I was actually thinking of the doing the first couple of things you mentioned in your review, but honestly, I was half asleep when I wrote it last night that I just wrote whatever, lol.**

**Should I delete that chapter and make anotehr to continue the story? Or keep it the way it is and continue it? (If so I need ideas) or just end it like I did and start a different story? (again, some ideas would really help me start a spark for an inspiration!)**

**Again, thanks for the reviews, and please tell me your thoughts! Xoxo Courtney**


	13. feAr

**Hey guys! Okay, so I decided to keep going with this story for a little bit longer, all due to notinyourlifetimehoney's brilliant idea. You might be a little confused, because I completely twisted the last chapter around for this in order to continue with this, so I'll help you out. **

Aria POV:

I woke up to the beeping of my alarm clock beside me. Annoyed, I slammed the button to turn the buzzer off, which woke up Ezra as well. I flipped over to look at him. "Sorry," I apologized.

Ezra shook his head, smiling, as he sat up in bed to face me. "Don't worry about it. Did you sleep well?" he asked, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him closer. I smiled against his mouth before I pulled away.

"Very well, after last night," I murmured, giggling. Ezra chuckled before he brought my legs over and set them on his lap.

"Did you have any dreams?" Ezra asked, curious. I sat there thinking about the dream that I had last night, and how badly I wanted it to be real. I just wish I could remember. For Ezra's sake, and for us; but of course the odds are never exactly in my favor. After a few moments, with Ezra patiently waiting for me to respond, I nodded.

"Want to talk about them?" he suggested, rubbing my thigh. I sniffled before I wiped my eyes.

I nodded slowly. "I dreamt that I remembered everything, and then in the morning, I told you….and you were so happy. WE were so happy, and everything was back to normal, and…and I just wanted more than anything for it to be real," I confessed, leaning in to hug him.

He happily took me in and squeezed me tight. He put his face in my hair and ran his hand behind my head. "What makes you think that I'm not happy?" Ezra questioned, pulling back to look at me lovingly.

I laughed sarcastically. "Let's face it, you wish that this never happened to us," I exclaimed, shrugging my shoulders and lay back on the sheets.

Ezra lay down too and turned so he was facing me on his side. "Sure, things would be a lot easier, and there wouldn't be as much trouble; but still, we didn't live carefree until right before our wedding. More importantly, I still loved you no matter what, even when you weren't you, but you found a way to fall for me again. Now, if you can, please tell me what's better than that."

I smiled. "Maybe your baby that has loved you since the first day that and has loved you ever since them and forever, not needing to go through the trouble again?" I suggested, with hopeful eyes.

Ezra sighed, and took my hands, rubbing them slowly together. "Aria…"

I took a deep breath. "I'm kidding….I love you," I exclaimed. Ezra responded and pulled me back under the sheets, where we both were at peace for once.

_Ezra smiled as we got in his car. "So, how about you go back to the hotel, and I go back out and get us take-out to celebrate._

_"Sounds good, I have to change out of this suit. It's so tight," Ezra chimed, laughing. I giggled as we soon pulled into the hotel .Ezra walked into the building as I sat in the driver's seat. I put the radio on and began to drive. My phone chimed a couple of times. Thinking it was Ezra, I grabbed my phone, while keeping my eyes on the road. I pressed, 'Open'._

_Contact ID: Unknown_

_Surprise! –A_

_I closed my phone, and squinted my eyes in confusion. I stared at the phone and thought about what A meant. I knew once I suddenly jolted forward, and the car spun out of control. I spun the wheel trying to get the car back on its four wheels, but it tilted to the side and fell on the ground, causing a crashing sound. Smoke arose from the front of the car, as I yelled for help._

_Now I got what the surprise was. My hands went to my head as I felt the wound I got from my head hitting the steering wheel. I pulled back my hand from the pain and noticed the blood on my finger. I winced. I couldn't quite feel my left wrist, and I started to cry._

I shot up in bed, as usual, scared out of my mind. Ezra arm was automatically around my waist, pulling me in for a hug. "You don't deserve to have these dreams. It's not fair," Ezra whispered into my hair. I plunged my head into his shoulder and clenched onto the back of his tee shirt.

"And to top it off, it's only been 10 minutes since we went back to sleep," Ezra noted. He stood up and pulled me off the bed. He brought me over to the couch as he walked over to the kitchen to make breakfast. I cuddled up into a ball on the couch, and rested my head on my knees. Ezra came back shortly with coffee and a muffin. He handed it to me cautiously, as if he wasn't sure if I wanted to anything or not. I took it and rested them in between my thighs.

He turned on the TV and turned to me. "I'm taking it that you don't want to talk about?" Ezra asked, taking a sip from his mug. I waited a moment before answering.

"It was a piece of a memory. I didn't see the last part of it, though, and I don't really want to," I said, giving him a look with honest eyes.

Ezra nodded. "I don't blame you. Was it about the kidnapping? With Jason?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, I remembered that already. It was…I saw….W-Who's A?" I blurted out. There were so many thought playing around in my head that this A person was the sun that all the other planets revolved around.

Ezra sighed. "Why can't you remember the good stuff?" he asked softly looking up at the ceiling.

"Well…?" I started, but Ezra began to start to explain. "A was this idiot who tortured you trough text, letter, and e-mail, starting on your first year of 11th grade. You know, they threatened you, and they knew all your secrets.

My eyes widened. I took a moment to take it all in. The better part that I took of is that I wasn't getting any texts from this person anymore so it must've been taken care of. "Did they ever find out who it was?" I asked curiously, taking another sip of coffee before setting back between my legs.

Ezra nodded slowly, and debated whether he should tell me or not. "Nobody important," he mumbled, turning his head to the TV.

_Are you kidding me? _I opened my mouth, leaned over to grab his face. I gently turned it towards me again. "Ezra. Tell me," I demanded. Ezra opened his mouth but didn't say anything. "We already started this topic so we might as well finish it," I continued, luring him in.

"Fine," Ezra said, raising his voice. "Not like it'll do you any good, but Noel Kahn."

My jaw dropped. Noel Kahn. Is he serious? "Wait, Noel was—" but Ezra interrupted me again.

"Yes, Noel Kahn. The guy that you really liked before you met me and during one of our short breaks. Yes, he knew all your secrets. Why? Because he knew Alison, and everybody hated her. Yes, I know that you'd never believe it, but yes, he almost killed you, your friendships, your parents' relationship, and even our relationship. Yes, I love you, and I meant all the things that I said before, I really do…yet I never thought that after finally living in peace and without fear, that we'd have to bring all the bad things up again. We stayed together and pulled through it all together, right? Isn't that supposed to be most important to you?" Ezra rambled and yelled, throwing his hands up in the air and leaving the room.

Let me add on the pattern. Yes, I was left there on the couch, alone, scared, and with my mouth wide open.

**Ooooo! Drama! Looks like Ezra got frustrated, just like every one of you is, ahah. Did you like it? Please review! Also, I thought I'd let you know that I have anoterh story planned, and it's in no way related to this. I'll give you a hint of what it's about. **_**A storm. A man who never meant to leave the one he loved in her most desperate time of need, comes back into her life unexpectedly and they are trapped in the same house, with their old feelings, with many things to try to work out. What he doesn't know is that there were a few surprises that he didn't expect either. **_**REVIEW! Xoxo Courtney**


	14. Now I do

**Good afternoon my lovely readers! Okay with this chapter you'll see a tiny change between Aria and Ezra, let's see if you notice it. Enjoy!**

Ezra POV:

I felt terrible after getting angry with Aria, as I sat on the bed with my head in my hands. It wasn't her fault that she remembers the nightmares of the past year; but she doesn't realize what happened to her…and us, made us stronger as a couple, our love for each other increased, because we always knew from that point that we'd have each other's backs through it all, and we finally got to live without fear. It seems like she has to go through it again, and I feel like she thinks she's doing it all by herself. I want her to know that I'll be here for her with every step of the way.

I'm just afraid that she'll give up on me….on us; and that there won't be any recovery for her. I groaned as I fell back onto the pillow and tried to nap it off. Of course the only thing on my mind was Aria…

Aria POV:

I sat there, staring at the TV screen, not having any idea what to do. I looked down at my hand and noticed the wedding ring on my finger. I played with it for a couple of minutes, rolling it back and forth between my hands. Then, out of frustration, I chucked it at the TV screen, making a loud, glass noise, bounced off the hard surface, and rolled back towards the couch. I sighed, leaning back into the pillow, and pulled out my phone.

I scrolled through the contacts, looking for someone to talk to. I noticed the girls, Hanna, Emily, and Spencer. Well, I haven't talked to them since Ali went missing. Did I become closer with them again? Maybe if I look through my messages, I'll find my answer. I went to my inbox and opened the first message. I decided to only check the messages from the day I got married, since I thought it'd help me more.

_From Ezra: I can't wait to officially be your husband today. I can already tell this will be the best day of my life. I love you, E._

_From Hanna: Yes, I'm leaving early, so you better be ready for my skills to make you the best-bride ever, and turn you into a wedding perfection. You can thank me later. _

_From Hanna: The wedding was the bomb, and you and Fitz were so cute together. And your vows! I think I died of jealousy. Caleb and I were talking about it, and he just might propose soon. Eeep! I know you're with Fitz now, but reply soon!_

_From Emily: You looked absolutely stunning today, and I hope that when you get back from your honeymoon we'll get to hang out: just the three of us! And of course, you can bring Ezra. _

_From Spencer: The wedding was beautiful, and I was so glad to be a part of it. I know that I'll see you after your honeymoon, but I wish you all the best. Love you!_

_From Hanna: Oh! And be careful! ;)_

_From Ella: Be safe, and I'll see you soon!_

_From Spencer: How's the honeymoon? I hope it's what you've dreamed of!_

_From Hanna: Aria! Caleb proposed! We need to get together ASAP. You and Fitz are probably on your way to those six Fitzy babies I've always wanted to be the aunt of, so I'll leave you alone… kisses!_

_From Emily: Where have you been? I just heard from your mom that you never even went on the honeymoon, but she didn't tell anymore; she basically ran out the door when I saw her. What happened? Is everything alright?_

_From Spencer: HOW DID I JUST HEAR THAT YOU WERE IN AN ACCIDENT? I didn't get the details on what happened, but the hospital won't allow any more visitors for the week, so the girls and I won't be able to see you. Please let me know!_

_From Hanna: I haven't spoken to you for a while now….are you like, living in another country permanently or..?_

_From Hanna: Em just told me about the accident. I'm so sorry sweetie! How bad is your injury? Did you forget anything? Hopefully it isn't bad! Talk to me as soon as you can! Xoxo_

Well that answered the question. I had tears in my eyes. How long has it been since I talked to them in person? I felt absolutely terrible, and I tossed my phone onto the coffee table in front of me. "Why me?" I cursed myself as I lay back onto the couch.

Ezra POV:

"_Well, apparently, you didn't have your facts right! It's been 5 years since the accident, and she still hasn't remembered everything! Why?" I questioned the doctor, as he examined Aria in the hospital room. _

"_Has she remembered ANYTHING since the accident?" he asked me, as he tilted Aria's head to the side. _

"_Yes, bits and pieces, but its not the stuff that she wants to remember," I explained, looking back at Aria. _

"_Well…." The doctor began, as he gestured Aria to use the eyes chart across the room. _

_I rolled my eyes. "I've been patient, and I've put up with it for 5 years. 5 years. SHE has been trying to remember these things for 5 years; but all she gets is nightmares, and we keep drifting apart. I can't leave her, though, not that I want to. So, can you please just tell me if there's any possibility that she'll regain her memory soon?" I asked, desperate. I walked over and rubbed Aria's back, and she looked over at me with a smile She took my hand in hers and she kissed the top of my left hand. _

_The doctor read through his papers again. "The chance that she'll regain everything?" the doctor wanted to make sure. I nodded slowly. "It's highly unlikely, being that she has been dealing with it for this long…" the doctor continued. _

_I sighed, as Aria started to panic. "We never got to go on our honeymoon," she noted. _

_I sat down beside her. "You can't remember our wedding, so what's the point?" I asked. _

_Aria put her head on my shoulder. "I think that it's time that we finally let the accident win. We should just give up," she said, afraid of my reaction. _

_I gave her a confused look, and my eyes focused in on hers. "Wait…are you….are you breaking up with me?" I asked. _

_Aria nodded as she welled up with tears. "Like you said….I can barely remember us being happy together. I'm sorry, Ezra. And with that she stood up and ran out of the room, leaving me speechless. _

I woke up sweating and nobody at my side. I got up quickly, wanted to make sure she was still here. I leaned up against the door and listened intently. I heard the TV, so I opened the door slowly and peeked through. Thank god. She was there, just sitting on the leather couch, staring at the screen.

I started to walk to the couch, and sat next to her. She didn't even look at me. I waited a minute as we sat there in silence. I looked over at her, and noticed that she was also staring me down. Then within seconds we attacked each other, lips attached and fighting for dominance. She pulled me on top of her as we kissed frantically and desperately with need.

After several minutes, we parted out of breath, and she finally let go of me. I leaned back into my spot on the couch next to her. I took a deep breath as I ended the sound of heavy breathing. "Aria…." I started but she hushed me with her lips.

I pulled away grinning but I wanted to be serious with her. "I'm really sorry for raising my voice with you earlier. You didn't deserve any of it," I exclaimed, holding her in my arms.

She turned her head to look up at me below my chin. "I understand," she sighed. "But I did deserve it. I shouldn't be so shocked with everything I hear. A lot of things have changed since 2 years ago," she stated, nuzzling her head into the crook of my neck.

"You didn't deserve it though, to me, you'll always be my baby girl, and I just want you to be happy and to feel loved."

She leaned up to kiss me once more. "I know that I'm loved. And even though I can't remember them right now, I know that I've been happy with you since the day we first met. I know that you took care of me when I needed you and that I always loved you," she claimed.

I smirked, as I ran my hands through her hair. I looked at the floor and noticed a shiny object by my feet. I had to lean over and pick it up to get a better view; but I regretted ever noticing it after. "Is this your wedding ring?" I asked, confused.

Aria jumped up and cursed. "Ezra, I did it right after you left the room, I was frustrated, I didn't know what I was doing," I stuttered, trying to get as many things out as possible.

Ezra's face loosened up and looked over at me with hurt eyes. "Aria, do you love me?" I asked, seriously. I started to have doubts.

"Of course I do," she stated in a 'duh' expression, acting if I were dumb.

I shook my head. "No…there's a part of me that thinks that you're making yourself believe that only because you know our story, and that you DID love me; but you can't remember…so…"

Aria looked down at the ground. "Ezra, I—" but I cut her off kindly.

"You can tell me. I think it's better if I know the truth. Are you trying to make yourself believe that you love me?" I asked, suddenly nervous of her upcoming response.

**What do you think she'll say? And what did you think of Ezra having nightmares too? He's doubting Aria's feelings for him because he feels insecure, and doesn't know what's true or false, or should I say Hunger Games wise, REAL or NOT REAL for her…..The more reviews, the faster that I'll update! Xoxo Courtney**


	15. For their own benefit

**Good evening! This might be a little short, but I'm not sure. When I type, I don't think, it kinda just pours out of me, haha. So, I guess it depends on the kind of mood I'm in. Enjoy!**

Ezra POV:

I waited for her response, watching her face turn serious and she looked like she was thinking things through. I got nervous, and immediately felt ashamed for being rejected. I sighed, as I stood up and began to walk to the kitchen to get a drink, but she stopped me, pulling me back on the couch.

"Ezra, wait," Aria called, settling me down next to her so she was facing me. "You've told me about certain times in our relationship, mostly the bad times, because that's all I can remember right now. You told me that even though those things happened, they happened for a reason: to bring us closer together, because we belong together," she exclaimed, running her hand gently down my cheek.

"Aria—" I tried to begin but she cut me off.

"Wait, I'm not done yet," she said, her lips just turning up to turn into a small polite smile. "Even though it's frustrating, and that more than anything, I just want to remember, I don't need to have those memories. I could tell how you feel just by the way you look at me. I could tell by the look on your face right now. I know that you have been there for me through it all the past two years, and I know that you still love me. I couldn't ask for anything else. You give me everything you can to make me feel wanted and okay. So, to answer your question….I know I loved you before the accident, but what I feel for you right now? It's pure love. I don't need any memories to know that we're soul mates. We can make new ones, because all I know is that I love you, Ezra, and I want you and only you," she said, finally out of breath.

Her answer was the one I dreamed of hearing, but not the one I expected. All I could do was stare in awe at the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Well, say something," Aria said, a little embarrassed and insecure. "Please."

I leaned in kissed her passionately with everything single thing I had. She melted into me, and we felt as if one. She ran her hands across my chest before I pulled back up slowly, my face still close to hers, our lips nearly touching, and our foreheads touching. "Thank you," was all I could whisper. She breathed heavily as she looked at me lovingly, and I suddenly knew that everything she had said to me was true. I chuckled, as she happily reattached our mouths and smiled against my lips. We were in heaven. We were happy.

About 2 hours later, we had just got back from dinner, and we decided to spend the rest of the night in front of the TV, with a big bowl of ice cream, watching movie marathons like we always used to. We laughed, she cried, we held each other, and we snuggled up closer with each movie. By about the third movie, we were both about to crash, and she had just closed her eyes, her head resting comfortably in the crook of my neck. I kissed her hairline softly, before I pulled the blanket over us, turned off the TV, and fell asleep as well, this time I'm sure, with the love of my life.

Aria POV:

_I pulled out my cell phone quickly, gasping. I dialed Ezra's number, and held the phone up to my ear._

_"Aria?" Ezra exclaimed on the first ring._

_"Ezra," I gasped, searching for words._

_Ezra quickly became worried. "Aria, what's wrong?" he demanded._

_I began to hear a beeping sound, and I panicked. "The c-car…..h-hit…I need h-help—Pl-please," I whispered._

_Ezra's breathing picked up in speed. "Oh my god, Aria where are you?"_

_"Rose and M-Maple st—street. Ezra there's a beeping sound and I'm scared! Please h-hur—" I whispered but couldn't quite finish the sentence._

_"Aria? Aria! Are you there?" Ezra asked. I heard him choke. The pain from my head increased, and I searched for words, but couldn't speak._

_My arm fell and my head rested back on the window, as my eyes drooped. The beeping sound was still ringing, and the sound never left my ears._

My eyes opened quickly as I lay there in Ezra's arms trying to catch my breath. Thank god I didn't wake up screaming this time. I lifted my head up slowly to make sure Ezra was still sleeping, and he was. I sighed in relief as I rested my head on his chest again and closed my eyes. I started to think.

We keep on doubting each other's feelings after I dream about another bad memory; but what if I just don't tell him about them. It doesn't really do me any better when I tell him, it just gets him paranoid, not romantic. If I remember the good stuff, I'll obviously tell him that. It'll make him smile, and I love having that job to do so. So, I made my final decision. Leave out the nightmares, ring in the dreams. It would help out the both of us. I smiled as I drifted back into sleep again.

**So, sort of a short chapter, but some important stuff took place. Aria told him how she really feels, and she makes a decision about keeping secrets from him. Do you think this'll work to thir benefit or will it blow right back up in their faces? Xoxo Courtney**


	16. Memories?

**Hi! Kay so because of notinyourlifetimehoney's brilliant idea, I know how I'm going to end this story, but I'm having trouble now with the in between. So ANY ideas that any of you may have are much appreciated. **

The next morning was very calm, and I woke up happy because I had been in the arms of the man that I love. We had been eating breakfast in bed and we were making small talk.

"So, did you sleep well last night?" Ezra asked me as he put a forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

I nodded quickly, and smiled at him. "Yeah, it felt good to finally have a good sleep," I lied. I once again thought over my decision and how I was going to play it out.

Ezra grinned. "That's good. So no nightma—"

"Nope, not at all, surprisingly," I lied once again.

Ezra sighed. "Well that's a relief," he exclaimed happily. After several seconds of silence, he broke into another subject. "So, I was kind of hoping that we could do something today," he suggested with his boyish smile.

"Oh?" I questioned. "Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe we could go see a movie or something," he suggested, looking up at me.

I smiled. "I love that idea," I responded.

Ezra nodded as if he had accomplished something and went to go put his dish in the sink.

"So, what movie did you choose for us?" I asked, curiously as we waited in the elevator.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Ezra flirted, running his hands through his hair. I smiled. He wouldn't tell me anything about our day.

"Pretty please?" I asked, batting my eyes at him with puppy eyes. Ezra just smiled and placed a kiss on my cheek.

_Once we stepped into the elevator, I pushed him against the wall. "Now tell me. What the heck are we doing?" I asked._

_He looked like he was enjoying my frustration. He crushed his lips to mine as we met in a passionate kiss. I completely forgot her question as I wrapped her arms around his neck, as he tightly ran his hands down my back. He pushed me up against the opposite wall. "Now, what was that again?"_

_"What?" I asked, confused, still dazed. Mission accomplished. For him._

_"Just enjoy the ride," was all Ezra said as he leaned in for one more kiss. The elevator doors opened and we walked out of his apartment building._

I smiled. "Ezra," I exclaimed, looking at him relieved. His attention turned to me and he came closer to wrap his arms around my waist. "Hm?" he mumbled.

"I-I just had a memory come to mind," I tried to say.

Ezra grinned, knowing it was a good one (finally) due to the look on my face. "What is it?" he asked, anxious.

I took a breath. "Well, we were in an elevator, and I kept on asking what you had planned for the day, but you shut me up when you kissed me," I laughed.

Ezra chuckled, wiping his chin. "Yeah, that was our date night. It was probably one of the best nights of our lives. It was, uh, beyond perfect," he smiled. **(If you read my first story, you'll get what he means. )**

I nodded. "It's so relieving to actually remember something to nice and calm," I confessed.

"Believe me, I am too," Ezra smirked, grabbing my hand and pulled me out of the elevator. We walked hand in hand to his car before we got in and turned on the radio. The first song that came on was Happiness.

Ezra looked over at me knowingly with a smile, but then realized that I couldn't fully remember that day. "I, uh, I told you the story right?" he asked, turning his eyes to the road.

I nodded. "It's our song right?" I questioned. He nodded, gripping his hands on the wheel. I looked out the window and watched all the cars pass by, listening to my favorite song.

"_God, I love this song," I exclaimed._

"_B-26," he noted, smiling. I was confused at first when he said that, but then I realized that since he was basically the only other person at the bar at the time, he must've picked that number (or song, rather) on the jukebox. We both had a good taste in music. Our conversation led to him hoisting me up on the counter in the dirty, disgusting bathroom. It smelled terrible in there, but it didn't mattered. The smell of his cologne and mint-scented breath soon took over, as we kissed, and kissed, and kissed…_

"B-26," I repeated, looking over at Ezra. He looked very confused for a moment, and we stopped at a red light. "I don't remember me re-telling you that part," he noted, dazed

"'Cause you didn't," I happily obliged, and then he suddenly caught on.

"I can tell that we're going to have a good time today," he said, reaching for my hand. I giggled, as _Happiness _ended and we turned into the parking lot of the theatre.

Once Ezra and I left the booth, I looked down at the ticket. "I know you have been wanting to see it for a while," Ezra noted, guiding us into the theatre. The ticket read, _The Proposal. _Yep, he was definitely right. I had been dying to see this_. Wait, how did I know that?_

We walked in and sat in the back row. We got comfortable as we talked until the movie started, also munching on popcorn and sipping from our soda we got to share.

_He headed straight for the back row. Everybody was sitting in the front, which was weird. I gave him a strange glare, and sat next to him. We talked, laughed and ate popcorn until the Upcoming Attractions started to play. He glanced over at me, and noticed that I was staring back. He lifted my chin with his thumb and brought my lips to his._

I smiled, knowing that like Ezra said, this was going to be a good day. I reached for his hand, and we sat there, my head on his shoulder, him kissing my forehead every now in then, in complete bliss.

**Alright, so sort of a fluffy chapter, and she remembered some stuff! Good stuff! I know, you all must be saying, "Finally! It took her long enough!" Well, their date isn't over yet, and he wants her to do something later that day that she's hesitant to do. What do you think he asks her to do? Review! Xoxo Courtney**


	17. Night Out

_**Hey!**_

After the movie ended, we were both happy and relieve that we could actually do something fun together. There wasn't really anything stopping us besides the fact that I couldn't remember half the stuff we did before the accident, but both of us are trying to get past it and move on, which I prefer best.

We came out of the movie and started to head home; but Ezra had one more surprise for me. "Now, Aria, I don't know how you'll feel about this idea, but I'm hoping you'll react the way I want you to," Ezra murmured, keeping his voice low, still insure what my answer would be.

I raised my eyebrows to let him know I wanted him to continue. "I was going to ask you if you would want to meet up with the girls…" Ezra started. I was instantly confused. "As much as I love more than anything being with you every single second, believe me, I really do, you can't have just me in your life. Besides, they've been worried sick about you ever since the accident due to the fact that nobody gave them any information.

I looked at the ground. "Isn't that why we got married? So we could be with each other for the rest of our lives?" I questioned.

Ezra chuckled. "Yes, that's right. But you love your friends, and you'll remember how close you became again if you meet up with them again," he explained, pecking my lips quickly.

I sighed. "…..Fine….." I gave in, rubbing my eyes. "Did you already, like, call them and set a meeting, or?" I teased.

Ezra chuckled. "Of course not. I'm not going to take advantage of your time or your day. You go whenever you wanna go, just do it soon please?" he asked, rubbing my thigh. I put my hand on top of his and smiled.

"8, tonight" I exclaimed. Ezra nodded.

"As long as you come back to me so I can just…hold you in my arms and fall asleep next the sound of your breathing…" he started.

I gave him a look. "Okay, as much as romantic that way, it was kind of creepy too," I laughed. He rolled his eyes and we continued to drive home.

I walked into The Grille cautiously as I slid my phone back into my pocket. All the girls agreed to meet up with me, saying that we all haven't talked to one another in a long time. My excuse was that Ezra was at a meeting and I wanted to catch up with them.

I looked around the setting and spotted familiar faces. Wow, they looked so different! They spotted me and immediately got up, sprinted over to me, and squeezed me hard.

I stood there awkwardly as I reached my arms around them and returned the hug. They pulled me by the arm and dragged me to their table, smiling.

"HI guys," I greeted, smiling sitting down.

They all dropped their jaws. "We haven't seen you in almost a month!" they all exclaimed in unison. "Where have you been?" Emily asked.

Spencer took a sip of her coffee as a light bulb lit up in her head. "Guys! The accident. What happened Ar?" she questioned. Spencer looked so different. She wasn't so….nerdy looking like she had been.

I took a deep breath. They really weren't told anything about the accident. "Well…I was with Ezra in the car, and we got into an accident. I flew through the windshield….I think…." I began.

"Oh my god!" Hanna gasped. She sure looked different too. She was so thin, unlike the last time I remember her.

"How badly were you hurt?" Emily asked.

I cleared my throat. How bad will this be when I tell them? Will they be mad at me for not telling them? "Not so bad…I just lost my memory," I explained, acting like it was no big deal. I was handling it.

Hanna almost spit out her coffee. "Not so bad?" she repeated.

Spencer tried to keep the mood calm. "But….you got it all back right?" she tried to reassure.

I waited a moment before saying, "Are you still the freak genius I knew you as?" I joked.

Spencer looked at me, confused. "Always have been….."

I nodded. "That's good," I smiled. This was getting awkward. Really awkward.

My gaze went over to Hanna. "You….you look so different, Hanna! You're gorgeous, as you always were," I tried not to make fun of the way I had remembered her.

Hanna set down her coffee, a little annoyed. "That-That was two and a half years ago. People change. They grow," Hanna tried to say but Emily interrupted her.

"Something tells me that you don't remember us that well…" she claimed, disappointed.

The waitress brought over the huge salad that the girls had ordered for us to share. "Like Hanna says….I remember you 2 years ago before school started. When Ali was missing…" I tried to explain.

"Wow," Spencer gasped. "I can't even imagine how Ezra took all this."

I nodded. "I'm pulling through it. _We're _pulling through it. Together."

The girls smiled and admiration. "We'll help you through it all, whenever you need us," Spencer chimed, and the girls all agreed.

"So, what happened while I was gone on my 'supposed to be honeymoon'? I asked.

Everyone sighed. "So much!" they all screamed. Hanna broke in. "Well, for one, you're not the only one that's married here," Hanna sang, gesturing to herself. We all cheered, and toasted, and finally, the night turned out _right. _

**The story will be ending soon! Sorry for the short chapter and long wait! Please don't hate me! Love you all! **


	18. Wrong

**HI guys! Sorry this took forever, I'll try to update every weekend until summer, I had state exams this week so I was exhausted from all the work!**

Ezra POV:

_Aria had fallen asleep with her head on her shoulder. I don't blame her, we were driving all the way to California. Yes, by car. That's Pennsylvania to California. We had been driving for a few hours and I was on my way to a nearby hotel. She snuggled against my chest. I felt her breathing in and out slowly, and I smiled. After the accident, and how she still hasn't regained her memory, we promised each other that we would start off somewhere new. We didn't want to be stuck in the quicksand of nightmares that were trapping us in Rosewood. I finally found the hotel and drove in the parking lot. I found a space finally and looked down my arm. _

"_Aria," I whispered. No response. I shifted in the seat and leaned down so my mouth was by her ear. _

"_Aria, baby, time to get up. I found a hotel," I coaxed. I heard a groan, and she mumbled a few words before opening her eyes. She lifted her head and looked out the window, and then to me. _

"_Sorry to wake you," I apologized, smiling. "At least now you can sleep on a bed, not on my chest," I chuckled. _

_Aria grinned. "Hey, I must say, you are very comfortable to sleep on. I've known that from many times of experience."_

"_Mhm" I mumbled as we pressed our lips together. I felt her hand reach and touch against my cheek. I raised my hand to hold the back of her neck, but I didn't feel anything. I moved my hand, searching for her responding touch, but there was…nothing. My eyes opened wide and I billed twice. She was gone. _

_I gasped, as I looked in the back seat and out the window, but I realized I was the only one in the parking lot and the hotel lights had just shut off. I sat there in silence, confused, and upset. Aria had disappeared into thin air, like she had never existed._

I woke up suddenly . I sat up from the couch and looked around. Aria wasn't back yet. I glanced over at the clock. _10:00. _She was gone for two hours. I yawned as I tried to remember my nightmare. It was a weird dream, and I realized that I had been having similar dreams of losing Aria for the past week or so. I decided that if she asked, for whatever reason, I would reassure her that everything's okay. Telling her that I've been having the nightmares instead of her will only worry her.

Since I knew that Aria would be coming home soon, I wanted to get ready.

Aria POV:

About 10 minutes after that, it was like we were friends forever again. Things were normal, and memories of us were coming back to me. In my mind I also saw visions of A, they were in a black hoodie all the time, and were torturing us. I tried to forget all of those and focus on connecting with the girls again. I looked at my phone and realized blindly that we had been in the coffee shop for 2 hours, and that the Grille was going to close soon. After that, we said our goodbyes, promising each other that we'd do this again soon. I texted Ezra telling him I was on my way home as I got into my car.

I opened the door to our apartment and was immediately amazed. There were candles everywhere, and petals all over the floor. I took a few steps more to look for Ezra, but I didn't see him. I glanced over at the bed which was also surrounded my candles and petals. Everything looked so elegant and beautiful. When I heard a door open I spun around to see Ezra come out in nothing but a towel. I bit my lip as he noticed my presence. I threw my arms up, gesturing to the lit and romantic room.

Ezra smiled. "I thought I could show you how cliché we were," he laughed, walking over to me. I nodded my head and giggled. I sat on the couch as he sat beside me.

"Well, it looks beautiful," I noted, complimenting him on his work. He smiled, knowingly proud, and turned to me. "How was meeting the girls?" he asked.

"It was….fantastic. It was a little awkward at first, but sooner or later it became just like we used to be," I explained, putting my hands together.

"That's great. Aren't you glad I asked you to do it?" Ezra teased, caressing my face. I nodded and looked at him lovingly before glancing down at his wet chest.

"So, what did you do while I was gone?" I asked, curious.

Ezra shrugged. "Slept," he murmured. I looked at him mischievously.

"Did you sleep well?"

He paused. "Absolutely," he smiled. "Are you tired?" he questioned, readjusting his towel around his waist. My attention was back to it again.

I looked around the room and admired what he did. "Not the slightest," I said, moving closer.

Ezra chuckled. "That's great," he whispered, as we met in a passionate kiss.

Ezra POV:

Right before I closed my eyes of exhaustion, I picked up my phone from the floor beside the bed, and looked at the screen. 1 new message.

I moved cautiously, because Aria had just fallen asleep on my chest. She liked it better when my arm was around her waist. I always knew that it made her feel safe; so I put the phone under the sheet so the light wouldn't wake her up. I pressed open:

_Long time no see! I'd really appreciate a thank-you for me keeping away from you for quite some time. Actually, not really, because I was ratted out. I wonder who by. When I get ratted out, I get my revenge. I decided to give my BFF a break, but not for long. For now, I have a quest for you. Break up with her by tomorrow night the latest. Either way, even if you don't, she won't see you again. I know that you were able to come to her rescue the first time, but would she ever be able to be your savior if she couldn't remember where to go, what to do, or what to even think. Keep that in mind, cutie. I'm back, and I'm coming for blood. –A_

I stared at the text message for a while, reading it over and over again. I tossed my phone carelessly to the floor and re-wrapped my arms around Aria. I put my chin above her head and rested my head back on the pillow. I wasn't going to get hyped over one fake text message. We found out that Noel was A last year, and he was going to be in jail for life because of the felony and of murdering Hardy. There was no bail, whatsoever. I closed my eyes, and fell into a slumber. The only thing I was completely oblivious to was the only person I know we put in jail, and that they could've been released on bail…

**I have only one thing to say. Uh-oh. **

**Review! Love you all! By the way, who saw Punk'd the other day? My Lucian heat melted. 3 xoxo Courtney**


	19. Just like a horror movie

Aria POV:

_"Officer Greene!" I yelled, shocked. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I wanted to check if you were awake yet, and well, both of you have opened your eyes. That's great!" he said happily._

_"Why did you come yesterday?" Ezra asked, curiously._

_Wait, I didn't know that he came yesterday._

_"Well, for two reasons. One, because we found Jackie Molina. She payed that DiLaurentis boy to kidnap you," Officer Greene explained, nodding his head toward me. "She's charged with 1st /2nd (It's not official) degree murderer. You won't be seeing her ever again."_

_We both sighed in relief. "I can't believe I almost married her," Ezra said, shocked. "She's pure evil."_

_I looked at him. I saw he was hurt, but I know that he'll forget about it, because she's out of everyone's life now. I will comfort him any time he needs it._

_"And second, well, the nurses called the police, about the fighting and screaming going on. It was a disaster," he stated. "But that's not important, you two need to focus on recovering. Is there anything I could do for either of you?"_

_I nodded quickly. "Yes, please. A restraining order against my parents. I want Ezra to have one against them too."_

_Officer Greene paced on his feet. "Well, that was something I was getting too. I mean, Aria, you could get one but…." He trailed off._

_"What?" Ezra asked._

_"Ella Montgomery told me what all this was about."_

_"Oh god," I gasped. "You're…you're not taking him away, are you?" I asked._

_Ezra was completely silent._

_"Officer Greene?" I heard Ezra ask. The cop just looked at us, and sighed._

_We both knew where this was headed. I started to weep, and out of the corner of my eye, Ezra was tearing up. Every time, one of us, or both of us, was afraid, nervous, or desperate, we held each other's hands._

_At the same time, Ezra and I leaned over the beds, to reach for each other's hand; but we couldn't reach._

The beam of light shining through the window in our small bedroom, making my eyes open. Another nightmare. I moved slightly, causing Ezra to wake up as well. He loosened his hands around my waist and lowered his head to kiss my shoulder. "Good morning," he murmured, still in the process of waking up.

I smiled, as I flipped myself over to face him. "Good morning," I replied, kissing his lips softly.

He ran his hands through his hair, sitting up. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"I did, I haven't been having nightmares that much anymore," I lied. I smiled to cover up the ugly lie.

"Really? That's great, baby," he exclaimed.

Ezra POV:

The fact that Aria wasn't having nightmares relieved me. I guess me having the nightmares is better than the both of us having to endure them. I heard the beeping of my phone, alerting me that I got a text, so I leaned over the side of the bed and reached on the night table. I pressed 'read', and looked at the text.

**Tick tock… -A**

I thought the first message I got last night was a joke, but now I'm not so sure. Is this person really going to carry this out? I sighed as I moved to put my phone back on the table. It beeped again before I could set it down.

**Don't question my abilities. You of all people know me best and know what I'm capable of. If you don't break up with her tonight, I'll come for you. I'll torture you; just like Aria was. –A**

I stared at the text for a few minutes. It was like this person was reading my mind. I thought about what they had said. '_You of all people know me best. I'll torture you; just like Aria was.' _By that I immediately knew who this was. Jackie.

She wouldn't hurt me….would she?

I set my phone down again and turned back to Aria, who was lit up with a smile. "I'll make breakfast," I said, standing up to get dressed. Before I knew it Aria's arms were around my waist, hugging me tightly. She walked around me to stand in front of me, looking at me lovingly. She leaned in, running her hand up to my neck. "I'll help," she suggested, giving me a peck on the lips before running off into the kitchen. I smirked, as I ran out after her.

The day went by quick. Aria had gone out with the girls again to the mall. I'm glad that she was bonding with them again. I'm pretty sure Hanna chose the mall to "celebrate her and Caleb's marriage." I spent the day with Mike. Surprising, right? We bonded every now and then when Aria went out with Emily, Hanna, and Spencer. I came to watch his lacrosse game, and we went out for pizza. Even though he was younger, we were almost best friends.

Aria had suggested me to hang out with him ever since Hardy passed away. After I came home, Aria walked in with several bags. I chuckled, as she struggled with the weight.

"What did you buy? Gold?" I teased, taking some of the bags.

Aria giggled. "I should have, but no. Just lots of clothes," she laughed. "Sorry I'm late," she noted, kissing me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I gave in.

When we parted, we ate a quick snack and headed for bed. I made sure that I locked the doors, locked the windows, and shut the blinds, because I was paranoid. I wasn't going to let Jackie hurt Aria again.

I walked to bed cautiously, and Aria snuggled up in my arms. I held her until she fell asleep. When she did, I slowly got up and got something to drink. I opened the fridge when I heard loud tapping on the window. I jumped, and ran over to the window. I opened a blind with my fingers and peered through. There was nobody there.

I breathed heavily as I walked back into the kitchen, goose bumps forming on my arms. It was cold in the room. After drinking a cup of water quickly, I made my way back to the bedroom. I heard a noise coming from the door. I froze.

I walked back towards the door, and looked at the doorknob. I stood in terror as I watched it move and turn frantically. Someone was trying to get in.

**Dun Dun Dun! I came up with a complete twist with this story before it ends. My story will still end the way it was planned, but this certain event coming up, I hope will mess with your mind! I hope you'll like it! Review! -Courtney**


	20. An understanding

**Hi! This may be a short chapter….or maybe a long one, I'm not that sure… bu, enjoy it either way!**

Ezra POV:

The rattling and the shaking wouldn't stop. Maybe pausing for a second, but then it would continue. I gulped loudly as I started to cautiously walk over to the peephole in the door. My eye peered through. Nobody was there.

I took a deep breath, as if I hadn't been able to breathe for hours, before I started to make my way back to the bedroom quickly. I was afraid Aria might wake up. I tripped on something on the floor and stubbed my toe on the door frame to the room. I cursed under my breath. I hopped on one foot out of the way as I held my foot in my left hand. It started to throb.

Again, the doorknob started to jiggle, and it seemed like this person had a key….or was it a screwdriver? I started to panic. I ran to the door, and opened it quickly, jumping out into the hallway, not even thinking of the consequences. Standing before me, fearless, was a black hooded figure, a ski-mask over their face. Their fingers were clenching back and forth into a hand fist, and they stood there for a few seconds before speaking.

"Don't even think about pulling off the mask, you'd be dead in a second. Nobody would ever even notice," the person said. Their voice was not a normal one. It didn't sound like a man's, nor a woman's….but computer generated. Probably a voice changer or something.

I blinked repeatedly. The figure was hard to see in the darkness of the hallway, but I could tell they were still there. "No, Aria would notice," I responded dumbly, coming closer.

The figure backed away a few steps and laughed. "Not if I got to her before she woke up," they corrected. That shut me up.

"What do you want from us?" I pleaded, throwing my hands in the air. "What could you possibly gain from torturing us?"

"Her. That's all I want. I want her dead. She's in the way, and I need her gone," they explained simply.

"Why?"

"Boss' order."

We stood there in silence for a few moments. "So, you're A," I whispered.

The figure stood like a statue. "You can say that, but nothing beats the original," they said.

I didn't even bother asking who that was, because there would be no answer to a utterly stupid question. "What can I do to make you leave us alone?" I questioned.

"Help me," the figure stated, as if they were ready for the question. 

My eyes popped out of my head. "Are you kidding me? I can't kill her! She's my wife, and I love her, I would do anything for her, help her whenever she need me, I—"

"You would be helping her," the figure claimed coldly, interrupting me. My eyes were welling up with tears, as I realized I couldn't get out of this. "How?" I asked.

"She's never going to remember everything," the person exclaimed. That was my fear, that should would never remember.

"How do you know?" I rubbed my eyes.

"I know everything."

I stood there, trying to gather myself, waiting for the person to continue. "She's going to continue to have the nightm—"

"She hasn't been having them," I corrected, but the figure shook their head slowly.

"She may not be now, but she will, and they'll keep on getting worse. Once she knows all her fears from your relationship, she'll remember things about me, and her friends, and stuff that's happened to her family, that she's yet to remember. There's a lot left. She'll keep having them, and then she'll be afraid to go to sleep, and then she won't know how to go on," the figure explained softly. "She's scared," they continued.

I shook my head, not being able to believe it. "You'd be saving her," the figure said calmly.

Another tear escaped from my eye, as I nodded. "I just want her to be happy….safe," I said.

The figure walked a step towards me. "And that she would be…..if you help me. My assignment would be completed, she would be happy, you would save a life…..all, if she dies," the person exclaimed.

I stood there in silence, and shock. There was a part of me that knew that she wasn't happy here. She wants all the pain to go away. I was afraid that she would never remember. We had been happy together. I had consumed her with the love that she had always wanted.

"I'll do it," I murmured, touching my chest. My heart pumped, and I focused in on the heartbeat. I thought of Aria, and her heartbeat, and how it would slow down, as the person she would last in the light of her eyes…..was me.

**How do you feel? Just to let you know, this is not a dream. This actually happened. I bet you didn't expect that one did you? The more reviews, the faster I update! Oh! And Happy Mother's Day! xoxo Courtney **


	21. Fooled

**Hi!**

Aria POV:

My eyes opened warily, as I caught my breath. Surprise, surprise, another nightmare. I groaned, closing my eyes again, and reached my arm out to wrap it around a body that was not there. I opened my eyes, curiously looking around the dark room. Where was he? My eyes went to the clock next to me, annoyed at the time. _3:34 am._

I looked over to the door, and saw that it was open. I heard a faint conversation going on, but it didn't seem like it was coming from inside the apartment. I rubbed my eyes, sitting up in bed. I stayed there for a few moments before I heard Ezra's voice. I got up quickly, and made my way into the living room. I looked around cautiously, listening intently to the voice.

Ezra's voice came from in the hallway. I stood up against the door, making sure I didn't cause any noise.

"_Tomorrow night, yes. I'll be there."_

I squinted my eyes and pushed my head up against the door more to try and hear the other voice. I know that he wasn't talking to himself.

"_Here, hide this. You'll need it." _That was the other voice, but I couldn't quite make it out.

There was a moment of silence before Ezra replied. _"You promise, that when I do this, it'll all be over? I just want her to be happy."_

There was another moment of silence. I gasped as the doorknob turned and opened, a figure coming in. "Aria! What are you doing up?"

I smiled. "I would ask you the same thing….Who were you talking to?" I questioned, moving closer to him.

Ezra cleared his throat. "Oh, somebody was leaving for the airport. They seemed to be in a hurry, and they needed directions on how to get there," Ezra exclaimed smoothly.

I nodded my head. "Hm. Why'd you wake up in the first place?"

Ezra smiled, turning the light on. "Just to get a glass of milk, but I heard arguing outside, and I wanted to see what it was," he said without hesitation. He was a really good liar. I know what I heard, but I wasn't going to take it any further.

Ezra leaned down to kiss me softly. "C'mon, babe, let's get back to bed. I'm sorry I woke you up," he said, wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. I giggled, digging my head into his chest. "It's fine, I'm glad I woke up," I murmured, caressing his cheek.

I turned out the light again as we walked back to bed together. I tried to forget what I heard as I closed my eyes, falling into a deep slumber.

_break_

Aria POV:

Ezra and I had went out to breakfast together to IHop this morning. We hadn't been going out much, so it was a nice change of atmosphere. We had talked for what seemed like hours, but it had only been an hour and a half.

The way back was pretty quiet from breakfast was pretty quiet. "So, do we have any plans today?" I asked curiously as I turned down the radio.

Ezra smiled. "Not that I know of, I was thinking we could do what you wanted, and tonight, we could go to the redbox or something and rent a movie…"he suggested, looking over at me for a reply.

"Sound perfect," I smiled. "Maybe we could go bowling or something?"

We looked at each other like we had read each other's minds.

_break_

"Strike!" Ezra yelled, throwing his hands up in the air, and did a little dance. He got embarrassed and shamelessly walked back over to me with a smirk on his face. I laughed. "That's three times in a row," he noted, moving the hair away from my eyes.

I gave him a devilish smile. "Oh, you wait. I'll get a strike any minute," I said, strutting past him and picking my ball up. I stuck my fingers in the three holes, and brought it to my chest. I focused, on the middle pin, and lowered my hand, bringing it back. I quickly moved forward, and tossed the ball. I watched in excitement as it moved in a straight line down the alleyway.

My smile dropped when the ball decided to make a turn and head into the gutter. I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest, and turning back to a grinning Ezra.

I pouted as I walked back over to him. "You want me to teach you?" he asked, taking my hands in his. I nodded, desperately.

"Okay, let's go," he sang, talking the ball again.

He handed it over to me to put my fingers in. Once I did that, I turned to him. "So, it's actually better to focus on hitting the side of the center pin. I always aim to hit just to the right of it, and it works mostly every time. Focus is key, and you have to have a straight arm," he instructed, moving behind me.

I held the ball just below my chin, as I focused just to the right of the center pin. Ezra reached in front of me and gently held my right arm. "Now, bring your arm back," he murmured, lowering my arm, keeping it straight, behind me.

"Go forward….." he said, as we took three steps. He left hand gently pushed down my shoulder, causing me to bend my knees a little. "And…..release," he whispered, as we brought my arm forward and I let go of the ball. I turned my head back to look at Ezra, who was looking back at me. I leaned in and we met in a chaste kiss. We parted when we heard pins knock down. I gasped as I turned back to the pins and smiled. A strike.

_break_

"Do you wanna go rent that movie now?" I asked, moving out of Ezra's embrace. "It's 7," I continued.

Ezra nodded. "Actually, an ex-coworker at Hollis has the Lord of the Rings in his office…"

"Seriously? Lord of the Rings?" I exclaimed, smiling.

"Yes, seriously! C'mon, my favorite line is, "YOU, SHALL NOT PASS!" he mimicked, pretending to throw down a sword into the ground. I laughed.

"Can't we just get it at the RedBox?"

"We won't have to pay," Ezra exclaimed, grabbing his coat.

"It's just a dollar though," I laughed.

"Plus, it's closer," Ezra persuaded. I sighed.

"Oh fine, it actually looks pretty interesting. I never saw it before. But, is Hollis even open at this hour?" I asked, running my hands through my hair.

"Yeah, of course. There are always teachers that stay late grading papers. I used to do that all the time, remember?" suddenly regretting what he said, knowing that I wouldn't remember that. "…Sorry."

I shook my head, and gave him a reassuring smile. "Let's go."

_break_

Ezra and I walked hand in hand to the college. There were a couple of lights on, but the main one was the lobby.

Ezra opened the door, letting me go in first. I walked in, suddenly afraid. I didn't see anybody there.

"This is pretty creepy," I admitted, walking next to him.

"I got used to it after a while," Ezra exclaimed, squeezing my hand, and kissing my forehead softly.

"Which room is this guy in, anyway?" I questioned, looking around the building.

Ezra looked around. "Oh! Right over here, room 26," he said, guiding us to the room. He opened the door and we walked in, the room still dark.

He closed the door, and went to turn on the lights.

Ezra POV:  
>I took a deep breath, as I turned on the lights. I heard Aria scream as I quickly spun around. There stood the black hooded figure with whom I made a deal with yesterday in the middle of the room.<p>

""Who are you?" Aria demanded, clinging to me, terrified.

The figure remained silent. "It's….A," I whispered, holding on to Aria. I kissed her hair once, before squeezing her.

"Something tells me we're not getting that DVD," Aria whispered

"We were set up," I lied, backing up against the wall with her.

"Shut up!" the figure yelled, as they came over to us and slapped Aria across the face. She cried out in agony as memories started to form in her head of when she was kidnapped last year.

"Aria," I sniffled, as tears formed in my eyes. The figure then turned to me and punched my chest, throwing me back against the wall. I groaned in pain. This person was strong.

I heard Aria cry out my name as she tried to reach for me. I took a deep breath as the figure walked over to me again and held out their hand. I took it, and they pulled me up to my feet. I pulled up my shirt, and reached down in my back pocket and pulled out a gun that they had given me last night.

I stared at it for second, before raising it up in the air, aiming it at Aria. The figure stood close to me, watching my every move.

Aria stood there in confusion. "Ezra, what the hell are you doing!"

I tried to hold back my tears, as I stood in my place. "Don't hate me," I whispered.

She started to cry again as she leant back against the wall, hoping she could escape. "What's going on!" she shrieked.

"I'm helping you. You'll be much happier," I murmured, looking over at the figure.

"What are you talking about, I'm perfectly happy with you!"

"I know you're not happy, you wish this never happened to you," I claimed.

Aria looked everywhere but in my eyes. "Yes, that's true. I do wish the accident never happened. Things would be so much easier, but I don't regret ever staying alive, and being with you! Not one second did I do that!" she admitted.

"You know…I could actually have a life if it weren't for you. I could have a job, go out with friends, do whatever I want, but I have to stay home and care for you like a baby!" I yelled, moving the gun slightly in my hands.

Aria's jaw dropped. "You made a commitment to me, Ezra! And you didn't have to give that up for me, I gave you a chance to leave, I—"

"I was being the better man," I interrupted her.

She wiped under her eyes, as she curled up into a ball. "I thought you loved me," she said.

I stood there in silence. A tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek. I didn't bother to wipe it away. "…I do…..I do, love you, which is why I have to do this," I cried, as the gun started to shake in my hands.

Aria started to shiver. "Ezra, please! Stop!" she begged.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…." I said, my thumb moving to pull the trigger.

Aria closed her eyes, whispering a last, "I still love you," as another tear streamed down her face. She was so upset she couldn't breathe.

The gun made a sound, as the bullet was about to escape the gun, but I turned away from Aria. I continued with my sentence. "I'm so sorry that you believed that I would actually agree to this," I whispered, aiming it at the figure.

It took a few seconds for them to realize what was going on. They, startled, quickly pulled out a gun from behind and aimed it at Aria. "You played me!" the figure yelled at me.

I shook my head. "How could you actually believe that I would _kill _MY WIFE!I would never hurt her.. ever!" I screamed.

I took a few breaths, and looked over at Aria, who was staring at me in relief. "I'm so sorry," I whispered to her, before returning my gaze to A.

"If you shoot me, I shoot her…We both die," they warned, pointing the gun back and forth between me and Aria. I heard her start to sob again, which made me die a little inside.

"I wouldn't let her die…..not today, not ever… and most importantly, not if you were killed first…" I said, taking a deep breath, before pulling the trigger, the only bullet in my gun flying through the air.

There was another sound at the same time. My gun only had one bullet….one shot. Yet there were two shots in that one single second.

**My whole goal for this chapter was to blow your mind. Did I succeed? So, if you didn't notice, Ezra would never kill, or even hurt Aria, he had a plan to pretend that he was..but then make his move on A at the last second. YET…Somebody besides A was shot in that moment. Who do you want it to be? Aria? Or Ezra? Tell me your thoughts!**

**I already know my plans for each chapter for this story now. This will be ending soon! Xoxo Courtney**


	22. Back then

**HI! **

Ezra POV:  
>Immediately after I pulled the rusty trigger, A went down; but not without a fight. They got hit, but then they shot once at Aria before they fell down to the ground, crippled.<p>

Almost automatically, I jumped in the way, protecting the petite girl who was sobbing against the wall. I jumped in the way, and took the bullet.

I yelled in agony as I, too, fell to the floor. Arms were around me instantly and there were more cried from above me.

Aria POV:

How did I sit there and watch my husband take a bullet for me? Why didn't I do anything? I hated myself in that moment, but there were other things to worry about. I held Ezra in my arms, hugging him tightly, running my hands through his hair, anything to calm him down. "Ezra, baby, where does it hurt?" I cried, taking out my phone.

He just groaned and took one hand pointing to his arm.

_I knelt down to Ezra's side, and stroke my hand down his cheek._

_I took his hand and mine and desperately waited for a response. Anything. I just wanted a sign that he was going to survive this. I waited, and then I felt his fingers close tightly around my hand and squeezed it._

_I gasped. "Ezra. Baby, please wake up__. Please,"__ I begged._

_Miracles can happen, He opened his beautiful eyes slowly and gazed up at me. "Are you okay?" he asked. I could barely hear him because he couldn't speak while in so much agony._

_I couldn't believe it. He was stabbed, almost died, and was asking is __I__ was okay. A tear escaped and rolled down my cheek._

A flashback came back to me from when Ezra was stabbed after the kidnapping. I kissed Ezra's forehead, as my hands went to work at his arm.

A blot of red pooled on his shirt. I touched it gently, and Ezra winced. I took my light jacket off and wrapped it around his arm. I applied pressure on it, and pulled it tighter.

I dialed 911 and called the police. They said they were on their way.

_"Ezra," I murmured, as I leaned down and kissed his lips. He responded as best he could. He tried to lean on his elbows, but failed and ended up falling back down, striking another shot of pain. He groaned._

_I took out my phone and called 911. We were going to be okay. "We'll get through this," I assured him, trying to comfort him._

_He nodded slowly. After the call, I took him in my arms; kissing his hair, and stroking his arms. "Keep breathing, baby. Keep breathing," I pleaded, as we waited for our rescue._

He seemed to be okay, but I still held on to him as if I would lose him in a second. "I love you, I love you, ,I love you," I repeated softly to him over and over again. I kept on reassuring that help was coming until he smiled and closed his eyes.

I sat there, by his bedside, trying to hold back the tears. I held his hand, and he had just woken up. He had had surgery a few hours ago. They removed the bullet and stitched the wound back up. Thank god that it wasn't bad. All I knew is that I kept on rambling about him saving my life…again.

I had been remembering things back from when Ezra was in the hospital last year.

_Ezra spoke up. "Am I really the bravest man you ever met?" he asked out of curiosity._

_I didn't even have to think about it. "Absolutely," I replied._

_He smiled. "I just want to protect you," he said. "I will be here for you whenever you need me, even when you may not want me," he spoke._

_"I will always want you," I said, correcting him._

_He lifted his hand and touched my nose with his pointer finger. I giggled._

_Then, he turned serious. "I want to try to walk," he exclaimed._

_My jaw dropped. "But you can barely push yourself up on the pillow!" I exclaimed, surprised._

_He chuckled. "You'll give me the strength," he said, as he grabbed my hand again._

"I'm…I'm so sorry about last night," Ezra began, but I cut him off.

"You can't apologize. There's nothing for you to be sorry for," I said, confused.

Ezra shook his head, squinting his eyes. "No…I must have scared the living hell out of you. I just want you to know that I would NEVER hurt you. I can't imagine ever doing that," he said, shaking his head again.

I squeezed his hand. "Yeah, you did scare me, but…you saved my life. You took a bullet for me. I can never thank you enough—"

"Just stay with me forever and always. That's all I ask," he murmured.

Tears threatened to escape again but I wiped my eyes quickly. "Of course," I whispered, before grabbing his face and kissing him.

We were interrupted when a familiar doctor came in. "Hello!" she greeted, before she stopped and remembered our faces. "How are you too?" she asked.

"We're okay now," I exclaimed, as Ezra put his arm around my waist.

The doctor nodded. "I'm glad to hear it," she responded. She turned to Ezra and looked at his charts. "Well, Mr. Fitz, your levels look good, everything is normal, the surgery went well, it looks like you can go home tonight!"

We sighed in relief together, looking into each other's eyes. "Are you sure he's all clear?" I questioned.

"Yes," the doctor replied. "The stitches will dissolve in a few days, maybe a week….and we'll put you In a light cast to keep your arm stable and safe."

"Thank you so much," Ezra said with a smiled. The doctor smiled warmly and turned back to me. "Now…Aria, right? Your 6 week appointment is coming really soon isn't it?" she asked, thinking.

I pondered for a moment, and gasped. "Yes! I think so!" I exclaimed.

"How 'bout I just check you out right now so you don't have to come back?" she suggested.

"That would be great!"

I sat on the bed next to Ezra as the doctor did her usual routine to all patients. She looked in my eyes, checked my heartbeat, looked in my ears, blood pressure everything. She wrote some things down on a chart.

"So, have you remembered anything?" she asked, curiously.

I looked over at Ezra. "Yes, lots of stuff. Not at the beginning though…but now, some things are coming back to me," I replied with a smile.

She nodded her head slowly. "You said not at first…..have you had any nightmares? That's very common, but that's usually not a great sign for full recovery. You should be remembering a wide variety of stuff," she said.

Ezra jumped in to answer that question. "Yeah, nightmares was basically all she had in the beginning, and it put a strain on us, but she doesn't have them anymore," he said proudly.

Crap.

"Oh, really? That's a great sign then!" the doctor sang as she wrote more notes down.

I stood silent for a moment before speaking up. "Wait, stop!" I almost yelled. I rubbed my head and took a deep breath.

Both the doctor and Ezra looked at me, startled at my important message.

"I….I'm still having the nightmares," I gulped.

**Dun, dun, dun! Review! The next chapter will be the last! Xoxo Courtney**


	23. No More

**Hi! **

Aria POV:  
>Ezra looked at me blankly for a moment, processing what I had just said. "Wait…what?" he had to ask again.<p>

I breathed heavily. "I still have the nightmares," I rushed, concentrating on his reaction. Is he going to be angry?

Ezra shook his head quickly. "Why didn't I know this….why did you tell me, Aria?" he raised his voice. His eyebrows furrowed as he sat up in bed.

I moved back to the side of his bed and took his hands in mine. He threatened to slide his hand out of my grip but I squeezed them tightly, causing him to groan. "I didn't tell anyone because I knew that it would be better for you. I didn't want you to be worried, and give up on us again. I don't want you to treat me as if we had just met….we're married, and I wanted you to treat me like the person you've known for almost 2 and a half years," I explained, tears welling up in my eyes.

Ezra sat in silence, and finally began running his thumb back in forth on the top of my hand. "Aria…I would never give up on us….not after that one night in the hotel. It was the first time you said you loved me after the accident. From that point I knew that this was something I had to continue to fight for."

I smiled in relief as Ezra kissed my hand, before he spoke again. "You'll always be the same Aria I met in that bar on Labor Day. It was the best day of my life, you're still that same girl," he murmured. "But….there's something that I've been keeping from you as well…" he began.

I squinted my eyes at him suspiciously and sat on the side of his bed, waiting for him to continue. "What is it?" I asked curiously.

He gulped, as he looked deeply into my eyes. "I've been having nightmares too."

Wait, why would he have nightmares? He wasn't the one who had lost his memory…"Wait, why would you be having nightmares? And when did they start?"

He looked down at his stomach, then at the IV in his arm. "It started a week or two after the accident. When I was afraid that you were never going to remember anything good," he answered.

"But why?" I asked.

He sighed. "Because I can't stand the idea of ever losing you," he replied, in barely a whisper.

I pressed my lips tightly together as I tried to hold back tears. I caressed his cheek gently before leaning down and kissing him passionately. His hand went to my back and pulled my closer to him. We parted and smiled at each other.

"You're not going to lose me…not as long as you still want me," I noted.

"Thank you….I don't know what I would do with you," he mumbled against my lips, kissing me again.

"I don't know what I would do without you either…." I replied, running my hands through his hair. He looked at me lovingly before I slipped under the covers with him and snuggled into his chest.

"Mm….Just promise me, no more secrets?" he asked, kissing my forehead.

I giggled, as I ran my hand across his chest. "No more secrets," I agreed.

The doctor had left us alone minutes ago, and said she would be back to discharge him once his antibiotics was finished. For the time we had alone together, I lay there in his arms. We were okay, we were going to continue to pull through together….we were in bliss.

**So I decided to split the last chapter into two parts. I thought this was sweet and wanted to upload something cute before the premiere airs on Tuesday. Can you believe there's only two days left now? Ezra anniversary! Anyway, next chapter will be the final one, sadly. I hope you've enjoyed the journey of this story as much as I did. Please review! Xoxo Courtney**


	24. Reality

Aria POV:  
>I yawned wearily as I stretched my left arm out. I looked around the room and sighed happily. My hand moved down Ezra's neck as I lifted my head up to look at him.<p>

"How long have you been awake?" I asked curiously, rubbing my eyes. I took his arm in my hand to look at the time on his watch. The doctor should be coming soon to discharge him.

Ezra groaned, as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Uh, I don't know, 15 minutes? I like watching you sleep…it's cute," he noted, kissing my forehead.

I giggled. Sitting up in bed, I stood up and got him a cup of water. "How do you feel?"

He cleared his throat as he looked at his side. "Maybe just a little sore, but nothing to worry about. I'll be fine," he smiled, taking the cup.

"That's good," I began. "So, what do you want to do when we get home? You want food? You want to go somewhere? Or just stay in?" I suggested, crossing my arms.

Ezra pretended to think thoroughly. "I guess we'll just have to see when we get home," he teased.

I grinned. We had promised each other to start off knew. We knew the chances of me remembering anything was slim, so we might as well just continue as if nothing happened. It would make things a lot easier, and we could have more fun. Before we fell asleep, we had been talking about me meeting his parents. He had told me his parents were dying to meet me, and I didn't even understand why we never had the chance.

Before Ezra ha the chance to say something else, the doctor, Dr. Radley, strolled in. "I see you two are awake!" she smiled.

Ezra and I just gave each other a look. I shook my head, laughing.

Dr. Radley looked at her chart. "So, it looks like you're antibiotics are finished, you have your medication to take home, everything seems to be fine, look like you can go home! However, if there is any pain, or is the stitches don't dissolve in 15 days, come back, okay?" she asked.

"Great," Ezra replied, as the doctor came and removed the IV off his arm. I started to pack his things, and Ezra stood up to kiss me on the cheek.

((()))))

"So, watching old movies it is," I exclaimed, running to grab the remote before jumping onto the bed and curling up into Ezra. He immediately wrapped his arm around me and I rested my head under his chin.

"Well, I didn't want to give up all of our regular routines. In fact, I want all of it to stay the same. I want it as if nothing ever happened," he whispered.

"Agreed," I smiled. My legs intertwined with his as I sighed. "I love you."

I heard him chuckle as I felt eyes on me. "I love you too," he replied. "Forever and always."

_Ezra kept whispering, and then he suddenly froze. I heard him choke out a cry, and I froze as well. I took a step back to look at his face. His eyes were basically popping out of his head and his mouth was in the shape of an "o". I gasped as I saw the cause of his reaction. I screamed._

_The man had stabbed Ezra in his back. The knife's blade was still stuck in his shoulder, close to his heart, with the man breathing heavily. He saw my face and laughed uncontrollably._

_He started to walk away (without the knife) and headed for the door. I cried out as I grabbed the knife and pulled it out of his back. I saw the blood on the blade and groaned as Ezra fell to the floor. I ran after the figure right as he was about to leave and stabbed him in the same spot he had stabbed Ezra. He dropped to his knees, as I stabbed him repeatedly again and again and again…..until I was sure he was dead. I dropped the knife._

_I wasn't a murderer. He might've killed the love of my life, and he almost killed me. It was defense, it was revenge. He deserved to die. I knelt down to Ezra's side, and stroke my hand down his cheek._

_I took his hand and mine and desperately waited for a response. Anything. I just wanted a sign that he was going to survive this. I waited, and then I felt his fingers close tightly around my hand and squeezed it._

_I gasped. "Ezra. Baby, please wake up. Please," I begged._

_Miracles can happen, He opened his beautiful eyes slowly and gazed up at me. "Are you okay?" he asked. I could barely hear him because he couldn't speak while in so much agony._

_I couldn't believe it. He was stabbed, almost died, and was asking is I was okay. A tear escaped and rolled down my cheek._

_"Ezra," I murmured, as I leaned down and kissed his lips._

Another memory popped up in my head.

((())))

_I brought his hand up to my lips and pecked his fingers and the top of his hand. I heard a groan._

_My head shot up and looked for any sign on his face._

_I rubbed my hand against his, and I heard another groan. He struggled to open his eyes, and when he succeeded, I started to cry once more. "Ezra," I whispered. "How do you feel?" I asked._

_He struggled to talk. He couldn't quite make words yet, so instead he tried to give a thumbs up with his hands. I giggled, but out of how hard he was trying. He needed to take it slow, not started talking and gesturing like the snap of a finger._

_I grinned at the small smile on his face. He eyes were gazing into mine, as I leaned in to kiss him._

_When we parted, there were so many things I wanted to say to him, but I was only able to choke out one line. "You are the bravest man I have ever met, Ezra Fitz."_

(((())))))

_He gasped in agony after a few steps, but I rubbed his back. He grabbed my arm and continued to walk again._

_We made it down the long hallway. He smiled at me. "You're doing a fantastic job," I stated._

_He smiled, proudly, and turned around to walk the other way. I held his hand, and gaped in awe at him when he returned to the door._

_"We did it!" Ezra exclaimed happily._

_I laughed. "No, YOU did it," I said. "I just held your hand," I said, shrugging, as I helped him back into bed. I lay down beside him like I did before._

_"You made it possible. You were my only reason for trying," he exclaimed._

(((()))))

_Officer Greene knitted his eyebrows in annoyance and confusion as he turned to me. "I didn't finish. I'm NOT going to take Mr. Fitz in, but I do have to ask him, that when he fully recovers, he needs a few days to himself, and he needs to leave Rosewood," he explained._

_I closed my eyes at the word 'leave'. "I'd rather die than let him go," I said without thinking. It was true though. I thought about all we did to get here, right now. We had just fought for our relationship, and now a person of higher authority is taking him away from me. It isn't fair. Nothing's fair._

_"Aria, don't," Ezra started, looking at me. "It's time. It was bound to happen anyway. I'll face the consequences. "_

(((())))))

_After a few hours, I was resting my head on Ezra's sweaty chest. "Ezra?" I asked ._

_"Mhmm?" he mumbled._

_"I change my answer. Tonight was beyond perfect," I whispered._

(((()))))

_"So, you're staying?" I asked hopefully._

_He opened his eyes and smiled. "Yes. I'm staying."_

_I screamed in happiness and threw myself onto him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I squeezed him. He tightened his arms arou8nd my waist as we hugged each other for a few minutes. We just stayed there, wishing that things could be this easy._

(((()))))

_I sniffled and looked up across from me, to the bus stop. I gasped at the sight in front of me. There, in front of me, was the love of my life, the person who didn't get on the bus, the man that thank god, didn't leave, Ezra Fitz._

_(((()))))_

_"Run away with me," I murmured._

_Ezra's head shot up, and stared at me in shock. "You really want to?" he asked._

_"Yes," I smiled. "Run away with me. We could get away, and be somewhere, where we could actually live as a couple. Yes, they'll be searching for us, but you know? We'll just keep moving; and I'm completely fine with that," I started._

_Ezra laughed. "I can't believe we're actually doing this. That's just what we'll do. But, tell me, are you sure you want to do this?" he tested._

_I took his face in my hands. "I'm absolutely positive," I replied._

_"Okay. Well, there's something that I have to ask, before we get carried away."_

_"Okay, what is it?" I demanded happily, stepping closer to him._

_Ezra stepped even closer and took my hands in his, kissing them, before he reached inside his pocket._

_He looked up at me with loving eyes as my mouth dropped. "Aria Montgomery, will you marry me?" he asked._

(((()))))

_He stood there, frozen. I stood up from the couch quickly and took his face in my hands. I made him look at me. "Ezra," I sighed. "Answer me, please," I begged._

_His eyes threatened to shed a tear as he whispered words that even I had trouble understanding. "Its….it's Hardy. He—He's dead."_

(((())))

_"So…..graduation is tomorrow," I pointed out. I felt like somebody had pressed the fast forward button on time. It felt lie just yesterday I was a freshman._

_"And it's also your 18th birthday," Ezra noted, playing with my fingers, and kissing them._

_I smiled. "And…I don't want you to come to the ceremony."_

_Ezra's smile faded into a frown. "Why..?" he asked, confused._

_"Because I don't think it's safe for you. I want to protect you, that's all I want to do. To keep you safe."_

_"Aria, that's crazy talk. I'm coming," I replied._

_"Please. As much as I want you to be there, in the audience, you can't. It's just better this way," I said sighing._

_Ezra looked like a light bulb had lit up above his head; yet I couldn't see what he was thinking. "So…..you don't want me to be in the audience… I can be anywhere but watching you from off the stage…" he said, smiling._

_"Anywhere, but watching me from the crowd. I don't want you up in a tree with binoculars either," I pointed out, grabbing his face._

_"Great. I got it covered," Ezra sighed happily as he attached our mouths. I knew that there was something he was thinking of, and there was a part of me that couldn't wait to see what it was going to be._

(((())))

_I was bored out of my mind. There were so many people, and I was almost next. The principal interrupted and I sighed._

_He cleared his throat before he spoke loud and clear. "And now, we have a special guest to give the diplomas out to his class. Mr. Fitz, a former teacher of the P1 AP English class, please, be my guest," the principal welcomed._

_I then noticed a tall, dark haired figure, who had changed his suit, making it more formal. He caught my eye as he began reading off the names of the students in the class. My name was called: "Aria Montgomery." He said it with a smooth tone, and our gazes met. His smile was the largest I had ever seen, and it was adorable. He stood tall and proud as he waited for me to meet him._

_I heard the squeals of my best friends from somewhere in the room, and I smiled. Just like in my dream, but differently, I mouthed, 'I love you' to Ezra, and he got the message. I giggled as I made my way over to him._

_((()))))_

_I closed my phone, and squinted my eyes in confusion. I stared at the phone and thought about what A meant. I knew once I suddenly jolted forward, and the car spun out of control. I spun the wheel trying to get the car back on its four wheels, but it tilted to the side and fell on the ground, causing a crashing sound. Smoke arose from the front of the car, as I yelled for help._

_Now I got what the surprise was. My hands went to my head as I felt the wound I got from my head hitting the steering wheel. I pulled back my hand from the pain and noticed the blood on my finger. I winced. I couldn't quite feel my left wrist, and I started to cry._

_I pulled out my cell phone quickly, gasping. I dialed Ezra's number, and held the phone up to my ear._

_"Aria?" Ezra exclaimed on the first ring._

_"Ezra," I gasped, searching for words._

_Ezra quickly became worried. "Aria, what's wrong?" he demanded._

_I began to hear a beeping sound, and I panicked. "The c-car…..h-hit…I need h-help—Pl-please," I whispered._

_Ezra's breathing picked up in speed. "Oh my god, Aria where are you?"_

_"Rose and M-Maple st—street. Ezra there's a beeping sound and I'm scared! Please h-hur—" I whispered but couldn't quite finish the sentence._

_"Aria? Aria! Are you there?" Ezra asked. I heard him choked. The pain from my head increased, and I searched for words, but couldn't speak._

_My arm fell and my head rested back on the window, as my eyes drooped. The beeping sound was still ringing, and the sound never left my ears._

(((()))))

_"So, where do you want to go?" he asked._

_"I want to live in your apartment again!" I claimed._

_"I never sold it. I still own it," Ezra said cheerfully._

_"I thought you leased it!" I said, surprised._

_"I was hoping that some miracle would come along….and it did," he exclaimed._

_I giggled, jumping up to kiss him. He hugged me tight, still thankful that I was alive._

_We walked back to her car, which one of the firemen drove here, and got inside. Ezra turned on the radio, and Happiness, our song, came on._

_We both looked at each other and reached for each other's hand. "Yeah, this sounds about right," I stated._

_He chuckled as we drove back to our apartment. When we walked up those familiar 3 flights of stairs and to the door, we looked at each other. "We've come a long way," I started._

_"And now, we can continue, with no fear," Ezra replied._

_He opened the door to 3B and we walked inside, inhaling the familiar mint scent of the room. "I missed this place," I sighed, hugging him._

_"Me too. I love you, almost-to- be Mrs. Fitz," he claimed._

_I lifted my head to look up at him. "I love you too. I'm so glad I could have you here with me."_

_He chuckled. "Like I said, whenever you need me or want me; I'll always be here."_

_"Good, because I think I'll keep you around for a while," I teased, putting my hand on his chest. And with that, he closed the door. We no longer had to live in fear, or turmoil. We were going to begin a new, bigger, better life, and I wouldn't have it any other way._

(((()))))

_"You may kiss your bride," the man said to Ezra, who quickly closed the gap between us and kissed me passionately. I immediately forgot about the ceremony, and the rings on our fingers, and the people all around. It was just us, and being entangled in each other's arms, and being able to kiss with no more worries, was the best gift I could possibly get._

(((())))

_The car was trying to regain its balance when yet another car hit us from behind. I, being the idiot that never did this, forgot to out my seatbelt on, causing me to be flown forwards. My head hit something incredibly hard, and I heard glass shatter and fall onto me as my face fell on top of the hood on the car._

((()))))

The next morning, I woke up happy and refreshed. I felt as if nothing had happened to me. I looked over to see Ezra still sleeping. He started to chuckle in his sleep, making me giggle. I decided to surprise him with breakfast. I turned on cartoons on the TV and began my routine.

After the pancakes were made, I noticed that Ezra was still sleeping. I quietly made my way over to Ezra and got on the bed. I kissed his cheek, and when he didn't respond, I shrugged. I leaned over and straddled his hips. I leaned over onto his chest and kissed him passionately. I felt a pair of hands grip around my waist pulling me closer to kiss me more. He mumbled against my lips. "You used to do that all the time before—"

"I know," I said, interrupting him with a smile.

Ezra's eyes widened. "You remembered that?" he asked. I nodded.

Ezra chuckled. "Did you happen to get anything else back?" he decided to ask.

I nodded my head quickly as tears started to form and shed my eyes. Ezra sat up in bed, brushing my cheek with his thumb. "What did you remember?"

I laughed softly as I wiped my eyes. "Everything," I exclaimed, as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

Ezra yelled in surprise. "Are you serious?" he questioned. "Don't lie, it all came back to you?" he asked happily.

I nodded as I gave him a kiss. When we parted, Ezra's eyes welled up with tears, before he exclaimed, "Come here," pulling me into that familiar hug.

We held each other for what seemed like eternity, and we were nothing but happy. "I love you so much," I confessed, running my hands through his hair.

Ezra's mouth opened. "I—I just can't believe my baby girl came back," he said, kissing me again. I love you too, Aria."

My thoughts returned to when I had that dream when I remembered everything and woke up like I just had. The thing was….this was no fake dream. It was a reality.

**Aw! I hope you guys liked it! And I hope you guys were okay with it being the same dream but with it being real. I have someone to thank too-**

**notinyourlifetimehoney - Thank you for helping me end this story. Your ideas were very much appreciated and I don't know what I would have done without you. **

**There WILL be an epilogue that will be posted really soon, to wrap everything up in a nice, neat bow. I'm actually crying because this is officially the end of I'll Always Be Here. This story is my baby, lol. **

**Do you guys want another story? Please do tell, and I'll be up for any challenges. **

**Thank you all SO SO SO much for being loyal readers, and I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. I hope you enjoyed, and please review! -Courtney**


	25. Where We Want

**I'm back for an epilogue that I promised! –Courtney**

Epilogue-

Aria POV:

Ezra and I had just gotten back from the Grille. My parents and the three girls were invited for a celebration. It was so good to be back again. I smiled as I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist, looking up at him.

Ezra looked down at me, and kissed my forehead. "So…"

I laughed. Of course we wouldn't know what to do. I took a deep breath and sighed. "So..."

Ezra grinned. "What do you want to do, Mrs. Fitz?" he asked wisely, pushing strand of hair behind my ear, before facing me.

My mind pondered for a second. There was a lot of stuff I wanted to do with Ezra before the accident got in the way. Now, that wasn't a problem anymore.

"Hm….want to go bowling so I can kick your ass again?" Ezra suggested, standing tall and proud.

I laughed. "As tempting as that sounds, Mr. Fitz, I think I have another idea.." I said biting my lip.

Ezra rolled his eyes. "And..what is that?"

I smiled. "I want to go on that honeymoon we never had," I exclaimed, taking his hand in mine, and looking up at him with hopeful eyes.

He rubbed his chin slightly before leaning down to whisper something in my ear. "Even better." I could sense the wide grin that he was wearing on his face.

_**3 years later…**_

Ezra POV:

"Aria! Aria! Come quick!" I yelled as loud as I could without scaring the baby. I was holding Stephanie up on her feet. She was grinning at me as she made gurgling noises. She jumped back and forth from one small foot to the other.

"_What? Did you drop the baby?"_ I heard Aria yell back from the bathroom. She was taking a shower.

I laughed. "No! But I think Steph is gonna take her first steps! Come here!" I replied, making funny faces at Steph at the same time to stall her.

I chuckled as I heard a loud scream. _"What! Oh no, no, no, I can't miss this, I can't miss this!" _I heard her panic as the water turned off. The door flung open and Stephanie and I watched as Aria came running out of the doorway in nothing but a towel, almost slipping on a stuffed animal on the floor as she did so.

She smiled as Steph continued to pace on one foot, then her other. Aria knelt down to the floor and clapped her hands. "Come here Stephanie! Come to Mommy!"

I kissed Stephanie's cheek before I let go of her and she stood on her feet. I started to cheer and encourage her, but she just stood there, and eventually fell back onto her but and sat there. She smiled.

I frowned, and Aria sighed as she walked over to me and sat on my knee. She looked at me as she blew at my face playfully.

"Maybe she just had to pee…" I started, looking at Aria without laughing.

Aria shook her head and smiled. "What is that, the new potty dance?"

We laughed, as Stephanie crawled over to the coffee table and grabbed on to one of the legs. I sighed. "I mean, we've been training for weeks," I explained as I wrapped my arms around Aria's waist.

She smiled as she looked down at the ground. "What, did you start a baby bootcamp?" she asked.

I grinned. "Yes," I played along. She nodded as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Aw, but you're still the best daddy in the world," she reassured as she placed a chaste kiss upon my lips.

I smirked as I caressed her cheek. "And you're the best mommy in the world, even though you almost missed your daughter's first steps," I teased.

Her mouth dropped. "Yeah, her 'first steps'," she laughed.

"Hey, she's unpredictable!" I defended myself, as Aria began to giggle.

She pressed her forehead against mine. "I love you," she whispered.

I smiled, and placed one hand behind her neck. "I love you too," I murmured back, before we attached our lips again.

When we parted, Aria gasped. "Ezra, look!" she screamed. We turned our heads quickly to Stephanie, who had pulled herself up using the table, and was now giggling, and walking slowly towards us.

"Steph!" we cheered in unison as we clapped and cried until we greeted her with hugs and kisses. Aria looked at me lovingly, before kissing my cheek and hugged me and Stephanie. We were happy, and were a perfect family. We were right where we wanted to be.

_**Fin.**_

**Ta Da! So that's officially the end of the sequel, and to the long storyline of I'll Always Be Here. I hope you enjoyed this epilogue, and I hope it killed you with cuteness Thank you all so much for the support I have gotten. I love you! Xoxo Courtney**


End file.
